Citation

Bandstra R, Welkey G, Mendelsohn R. Accid. Reconstr. J. 1993; 5(4): 20-23.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This case study describes a motor vehicle accident in which the driver sustained a tear of the right internal carotid artery at the C1-C2 (neck vertebrae) level, which resulted in thrombus formation at the tear site. Subsequently, an embolus (blood clot) was released which lodged in the right middle cerebral artery, causing occlusion of blood flow to the corresponding cerebral hemisphere. While the accident was unremarkable, the disruption of the driver's seat belt webbing permitted highly unusual occupant kinematics, resulting in the production of a statistically uncommon injury. Testing of corresponding sample seatbelts, subjected to analogous damage followed by tensile loading, was performed in order to validate the observations of failure mode.