Charles P. Compton

FACIAL INJURIES IN AUTOMOBILE CRASHES

In automobile accidents, the facial area is the most frequently injured body region in passenger car occupants. Laboratory studies have indicated that the tolerance of facial bones to impact is relatively low. Most of these facial injuries are rated as minor. The windshield, steering wheel, and instrument panel are the major points of contact. Restraints, lap belts, and lap-shoulder belts reduce the frequency of facial injuries at all levels of severity and also reduce the more severe and serious injuries to other body regions.

Rural motor vehicle crash mortality: The role of crash severity and medical resources

We did a retrospective case control study to examine the relationship between the risk of dying for Michigan motor vehicle crash (MVC) drivers and the type of county (rural/nonrural) of crash occurrence, while adjusting for crash characteristics, age, sex, and the medical resources in the county of crash occurrence. The 1987 Michigan Accident Census was used to obtain data regarding all MVC driver nonsurvivors (733) and a random sample of all surviving drivers (2,483). County of crash occurrence was defined as rural or nonrural. The crash characteristics analyzed were vehicle deformity, seat belt use, and drivability of the vehicle from the scene. Age and sex of the driver were also analyzed. Medical resource characteristics for the county of crash occurrence were measured as the number of resources per square mile for each of the following: ambulances, emergency medical technicians (EMT), acute care hospital beds, and operating rooms, surgeons and emergency physicians. Also considered were the number and level of emergency rooms in the county of crash occurrence along with the maximum level of prehospital care available (basic life support versus advanced life support) in a county. Before adjusting, the relative risk (RR) for rural MVC drivers dying, compared to their nonrural counterparts, was 1.96. Adjustment for crash characteristics, age, and sex (using logistic regression) decreased the RR to 1.51. An attempt to add medical resource variables to the model resulted in high correlation with the rural/nonrural variable, as well as with each other. This multi-collinearity prevented us from providing a simple explanation of the role of medical resource variables as predictors of survival.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Injury frequency and severity in rollover car crashes as related to occupant ejection, contacts and roof damage: an analysis of national crash severity study data

National Crash Severity Study data on tow-away, passenger cars that rolled over and had top damage due to ground contact were reviewed to study the occupants, overall injury severity, the influence of vehicle factors (occupant contacts and roof damage) on occupant injury frequency, and the effects of occupant ejection. The frequency of the more serious injuries or fatalities to rollover occupants who are not ejected is the same as in occupants in all types of crashes. The more serious injuries and fatalities are 17 times more frequent to ejected occupants in rollover crashes. Of the serious injuries more are sustained by occupant to ground contact than by occupant/roof interaction. Roof damage is not causally related to injury severity in rollover crashes.

INJURY SEVERITY EJECTION, AND OCCUPANT CONTACTS IN PASSENGER CAR ROLLOVER CRASHES

Ejection from a motor vehicle has been considered a hazardous event with the belief that occupant impacts outside of the car are the injury causing event. Analysis of NCSS data, and of Washtenaw County, Michigan crashes indicates, that more than half of the more serious injuries (greater than or equal to AIS 3) occurred within the car prior to the ejection. Also in rollover crashes, side glass areas are the main portals of ejection, with the major injury being sustained within the car prior to ejection, occurring more often in far side down rollovers.

ANALYSIS OF PASSENGER CAR SIDE IMPACTS - CRASH LOCATION, INJURIES, AIS AND CONTACTS

NASS 80-88 passenger side impacts data were analyzed. Location of primary car damage using the CDC classification, the AIS for injury severity studies, and the interior contacts of the various body areas were studied. Drivers alone, or with passengers were studied separately in both left and right side crashes. Direct impacts of the passenger compartment only are less frequent than to other CDC side zones. Driver interior contacts vary by body region but also by side impacted in the crash. The presence of an unrestrained front passenger appears to enhance driver injury level in left side crashes but the presence of a passenger, in right side crashes appears to moderate driver injury severity.

OFFSET FRONTAL COLLISIONS: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND ANALYSIS OF UMTRI AND NASS CRASH INJURY DATA - CDC, AIS AND BODY AREA INJURIES

Using the Collision Deformation Classification (CDC) (SAE J224), a comparison of the National Accident Sampling System (NASS) data and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) field accident files (UM series) indicates a similar distribution of offset frontal crashes. Offset frontal damage occurs in 56-61% of crashes, often involving more than one-third of the front of the car. Lap-shoulder belted drivers sustain more AIS 2 or greater injuries when there is interior intrusion and these occur more often when the offset damage is in front of the driver. However, this may well be due to the severity of the crash. European studies have no uniformity as to offset frontal collision descriptors, so they are difficult to interpret, or to compare one to another.