PATTERNS OF HIGH-SPEED IMPACT INJURIES IN MOTOR VEHICLE OCCUPANTS

Trauma from high-speed motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death and disability. Most of these injuries could be prevented if the driver and occupants of motor vehicles wore seatbelts or used other restraining devices. The injuries produced when an unrestrained occupant of a motor vehicle is ejected from that vehicle or impacts on a hostile surface at high speed occur in a reproducible pattern. The types of injuries sustained by drivers and front seat passengers are different and specific enough to allow one to identify drivers and passengers with confidence. Because of severe life-threatening injuries to the central nervous system, and thoracic and abdominal viscera, other serious injuries may be overlooked. Knowledge of the mechanism of injury and the role of the victim (i.e., driver or passenger) should lead to the prompt radiographic evaluation of all areas at risk. Our findings are based on a study of 250 drivers and 250 front seat passengers involved in motor vehicle accidents. We found distinct common injury patterns and radiographic findings in drivers and front seat passengers. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00225282
• Corporate Authors:

  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

  428 East Preston Street
  Baltimore, MD  United States  21202
• Authors:
  • Daffner, R H
  • Deeb, Z L
  • Lupetin, A R
  • Rothfus, W E
• Publication Date: 1988-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 498-501
• Serial:
  • Journal of Trauma, Injury, Infection and Critical Care
  • Volume: 28
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
  • ISSN: 0022-5282

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Drivers; Ejection; Fatalities; Front seats; Helmets; High speed ground transportation; High speed vehicles; Injuries; Injury severity; Manual safety belts; Passengers; Prevention; Skull fractures; Speed; Thorax; Vehicle components
• ITRD Terms: 1354: Components of the vehicle; 1687: Crash helmet; 1772: Driver; 1651: Ejection; 1602: Fatality; 9025: Front; 2163: Injury; 1466: Passive safety system; 9149: Prevention; 1476: Safety belt; 1623: Severity (accid, injury); 2021: Skull; 2083: Thorax; 1715: Vehicle occupant
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00482961
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-040 651
• Files: HSL, ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1990 12:00AM