Stillwater Police Sgt. Thanked for Issuing 'Lifesaving' Seatbelt Citation

In 28 years on the job, Stillwater Police Sgt. Jeff Magler has never had anyone call him to say thank you for issuing a ticket.

On Monday morning, that all changed.

When Magler checked his voicemail this week, he heard a message from Andrew King, a Stillwater resident who told him a seatbelt ticket he was issued this spring, saved his life.

King was stopped by Sgt. Magler in March for speeding. During the traffic stop, Magler noticed King wasn’t wearing his seatbelt—gave him a warning for speeing, and sent him on his way with a seatbelt ticket.

Earlier this month, King got into a serious car accident on Highway 36 at Demontreville, but this time, he was wearing his seatbelt.

"I can't tell you what this means for my family for what looked like a bad day in March when I got that ticket, it turned out to be lifesaving," King said in the voicemail to Sgt. Magler.

So far this year, Stillwater Police have had 24 documented seatbelt violations.

King told KSTP he has learned his lesson.

"You never know, you could be following the traffic laws, doing the right thing and someone else could ruin your day," King told the television station. "It could be worse."