Woman and her dog to get seat belt award in Portsmouth

By Lia Russell

PORTSMOUTH

April 28, 2009, was a beautiful, sunny day in Hampton Roads, adding to the upbeat mood of Marie and Tim Bentley, who had just received good news from their dog’s veterinarian.

The Portsmouth couple’s 70-pound,  2-year-old Bernese mountain dog, Isabelle, whom they call  Bella , wouldn’t need surgery after all for a leg injury.

After leaving their vet’s office in Virginia Beach, Marie Bentley and her husband parted ways – he went to his job in Norfolk, and she and the dog headed home.

“Bella was riding shotgun in my Toyota Camry and she was wearing her seat belt, like she always does,” said Bentley, 32, an attorney.

The belt may have saved Bella’s life, and it ultimately made her an unprecedented canine role model.

Bentley came out of the Downtown Tunnel on the Portsmouth side and took exit 7 heading into Olde Towne, where she resides. “I was cruising along and as I got to the Court and Bart streets intersection, a car to my right pulled out directly in front of me,” Bentley said. “I couldn’t stop.”

Bentley moved her hand to the car’s horn, but it was too late.

The front end of Bentley’s Camry hit the  side of the other sedan.

Air bags deployed and adrenaline coursed through Bentley’s body.

“I reached out to pet Bella – to see if she was OK – and my arm flopped,” she said. “That’s when I realized how hurt I was. I freaked out.”

Bentley thinks  the air bag deployed just as her hand was reaching for the horn. It shattered her entire right arm.

Bella was frightened but didn’t suffer a scratch.

“Even though we both lurched forward, neither of us hit the windshield because we were wearing our seat belts,” Bentley said. “They may have saved our lives.”

Sgt. Thomas Bozeman of the Portsmouth Police Department responded to the scene and was surprised Bentley and Isabelle did not sustain more serious injuries. “It was a very severe crash,” he said.

Today, along with her owner, Bella will be honored by the Virginia Highway Safety Office with a “Saved By the Belt Award.”

The award is presented to individuals involved traffic crashes who avoided greater injury or death because they were wearing a safety belt or were in a child safety restraint. Bozeman nominated Bentley and Bella – the first canine recipient – for the award.

“I supported Bella being recognized because the dog also could have come out of the vehicle in a very unpleasant way or further injured Mrs. Bentley,” said Mary Ann Rayment, occupant protection coordinator for the Virginia Highway Safety Office. “Bella could have become a flying projectile in the car.”

Rayment advocates the use of canine car restraints.

“Since a lot of people liken their pets to their family members, then you want them taken care of too,” she said.

 To treat her injury, Bentley underwent a five-hour surgery in which  two plates and 15 screws helped reconstruct the bones in her arm. She has healed but suffers some residual nerve damage and pain.

She and Bella each will receive a certificate at today’s ceremony. Bentley also will receive a coffee mug, but Bella isn’t a java aficionado.

“She’ll be getting treats,” Rayment said.

Bella recently celebrated her third birthday. Bentley said the dog is enjoying her newfound celebrity – more so when treats are involved.

Lia Russell, (757) 222-5829, lia.russell@pilotonline.com