Special Crash Investigations: Child Restraint System Crash Investigation; Vehicle: 2003 Ford Escape; Location: Utah; Crash Date: April 2018

This report documents the investigation of the child restraint systems (CRSs) used by two occupants of a 2003 Ford Escape involved in a multiple-vehicle crash and the disparate injuries sustained by the occupants of the vehicle. A 2-year-old female occupant restrained in a CRS in the second-row right position sustained severe injuries and was pronounced deceased on-scene. A 7-month-old female occupant restrained in a CRS in the second-row left position sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized for 11 days. The 31-year-old male driver and 30-year-old female front right occupant sustained moderate and serious injuries, respectively, and were transported and treated for unknown durations. The investigation focused on what role CRS usage played in the occupants’ kinematics and injury mitigation. The other involved vehicles were a 1999 Dodge RAM driven by a 37-year-old male and occupied by an 8-year-old male and a 38-year-old female, a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG driven by a 63-year-old male and occupied by a 63-year-old female, and a 2015 Toyota Sienna driven by a 32- year-old male. All four vehicles were traveling southbound. The Ford, Mercedes, and Toyota were stopped in the left turn lane at the intersection. The Dodge was traveling in a southbound through lane when the driver became distracted. The Dodge crossed into the left turn lane and the front plane struck the back plane of the Ford. A chain reaction occurred when the Ford was displaced forward striking the Mercedes, and the Mercedes was displaced forward, striking the Toyota. The Toyota came to a controlled stop and the other vehicles came to rest engaged in front-to-back configurations.

• Record URL:
  https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812933
• Corporate Authors:

  Dynamic Science, Incorporated

  Mission Viejo, CA  United States  92692

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 2020-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 31p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air bags; Child restraint systems; Crash injuries; Crash investigation; Crash investigation sites; Deployment; Electric automobiles; Fatalities; Highway safety; Traffic crashes
• Identifier Terms: Ford Escape Hybrid Electric Vehicle; Ford Motor Company
• Geographic Terms: Utah
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01740165
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT HS 812 933, DS18009
• Contract Numbers: DTNH22-12-C-0271
• Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: May 26 2020 10:20AM