Citation

Huelke DF, Marsh JC, Ballard WJ. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1973; 17: 87-115.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1973, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A study of 266 rollover crashes with 377 front seat occupants indicates that 62% of the vehicles meet the intent of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 216. Half of the occupants had minor or no reported injury. Three out of 10 of the non-restrained occupants were ejected during rollover and that 20% of the unrestrained occupants had critical or fatal injuries whereas belted occupants sustained critical or fatal injuries in 6% of cases. Of those ejected from the car, about half were killed. The data indicate that ejection is independent of roof crush. Ejectees sustained more fractures, abrasions, internal hemorrhages and had higher mean AIS whereas lacerations, contusions and pain were more often in those not ejected. Contacts producing injury are distributed throughout the various contact area with fractures showing up more often from exterior car objects. Fractures in non-ejected occupants are due more often to objects other than the roof. The head and extremities are the body areas most frequently injured with 50% of fatal lesions found in the head region. Minimal injury is found with roof crush up to 12 inches. For roof crush of 0-6 inches the percent of injuries from roof contacts is almost doubled for unrestrained occupants. There is no statistically significant relationship between any injury from roof contact and inches of roof crush. One-third of all rollover collision injuries are to the head region. Head injury severity from roof contact is not significantly related to roof crush.