Tyler A. Kress

Airbag-induced eye injuries: a report of 25 cases

OBJECTIVE To acquire a better understanding of airbag-induced eye injuries, 25 cases are reviewed and an attempt is made to identify the causal mechanisms associated with each injury. DESIGN AND METHODS The National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations National Accident Sampling System for the years 1984-1994 was accessed to identify automobile accidents that included airbag deployment and injury to the ocular region. The search provided 25 such cases with detailed studies of the accident scene and medical records of the injuries. The cases were comprehensively reviewed to determine the casual mechanisms associated with each group of injuries. RESULTS The study determined that the injuries range from mild corneal abrasions to retinal detachment. Causation for each injury was determined and is detailed. The injuries were grouped according to location within the ocular region, and the distribution is shown. CONCLUSIONS Most of the injuries were induced by impact with the fully deployed airbag, but the more severe ocular trauma resulted from the actively deploying airbag striking the occupant. Thus, ocular trauma from airbags can occur in very minor impacts. Additionally, the left eye seemed more vulnerable to injury than the right. Nontethered airbags have greater inflation distances that tend to increase the probability of injury. External parameters that may also increase the severity of eye injury include an unfastened seat belt, sitting too close to the steering wheel, or wearing glasses.

Hand/Wrist Disorders Among Sign Language Communicators

The study assessed the frequency of self-reported hand/wrist problems among sign language communicators, including interpreters, deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals, and educators. Comparisons were also made between sign language communicators and the general population regarding the frequency of medically diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome. A survey was mailed to attendees of a national conference that focused on the quality of postsecondary educational opportunities for students with hearing deficits. Fifty-nine percent of 184 respondents reported experiencing hand/wrist problems. Twenty-six percent reported experiencing hand/wrist problems severe enough to limit the ability to work, and 18% reported a medical diagnosis of wrist tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or both. The frequency of self-reported, medically diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome for the surveyed sign language communicators was five times the rate experienced by working Americans between ages 18 and 60 years (Tanaka, Wild, Seigman, Halperin, Behrens, & Putz-Anderson, 1995). The study supports increased emphasis on and availability of hand/wrist disorder risk reduction programs for sign language users.

Crisis management preparedness of school districts in three southern states in the USA

The following paper describes the results of a baseline study to assess the status of crisis management preparedness in public school districts in three southern states in the United States. Self-reported responses were collected by distributing a 22 question self-reporting survey to all school districts and systems in the states of Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Threats by students were indicated as requiring district team activation by 40% of responding districts. This baseline study indicated that 95% of responding districts have some type of district crisis management plan, 77% have a district crisis management team and 88% have a part- or full-time director designated for crisis situation. While these initial findings sound promising, the low number of districts (less than 50%) self-reporting at least one full day of training in the last year and no full-scale drill is indicative of a very low level of crisis preparedness. This lack of preparedness reported in combination with the relatively high level of crisis incidents, such as student deaths, violence (fights), weapons on campus, and student threats, gives rise for concern, and districts should pay special attention to increasing future training efforts and performing more full-scale drills. Overall, crisis plans should be improved in order to ensure adequate school district crisis preparedness.

Determination and verification of equivalent barrier speeds (EBS) using photomodeler as a measurement tool

This study focused on the role of PhotoModeler, a close-range photogrammetry software package, in an important facet of traffic accident reconstruction-vehicle crush measurement. More specifically, this study applied the PhotoModeler process to controlled crash information generated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A statistical technique known as bootstrapping was utilized to generate distributions from which the variability was examined. The within subject analysis showed that 44.8% of the variability is due to the technique itself and the between subjects analysis demonstrated that 55.2% of the variability is attributable to vehicle type-roughly half and half. Additionally, a 95% Cl for the within analysis revealed that the mean difference (between this study and NHTSA) fell between -2.52 mph and +2.73 mph; the between analysis showed a mean difference between -3.26 mph and +2.41 mph.

Local government involvement in disaster preparedness in the USA

The federal governments role in community disaster preparedness in the USA has historically been limited to assisting communities after a disaster has occurred. Recent years, however, have seen an increase in the complexity of disasters, making it more difficult to manage the response. Local organisations often do not have the resources or the training to effectively react to the needs created by a disaster. With the support of federal and state programmes, changes must be implemented to better enable local governments to effectively work with communities to prepare for and respond to all disasters, whether natural or man-made. It will be the responsibility of citizens and local government officials to work together to adapt the programmes to their communities preparedness needs. This paper will address the evolution of government involvement in disaster preparedness and examine the history of comprehensive community disaster preparedness planning in the USA.

A PNEUMATIC AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM FOR EXPERIMENTAL TESTING

This paper examines an originally designed airbag deployment system for use in static experimental testing. It consists of a pressure vessel and valve arrangement with pneumatic and electric controls. A piston functions like a valve when operated and is activated pneumatically to release the air in the tank. Once released, the air fills the attached airbag. The leading edge velocity can be controlled by the initial pressure in the tank, which can range up to 960 kPa. Three different test configurations were studied, which resulted in leading edge deployment speeds of approximately 20 m/s, 40 m/s, and 60 m/s. In experiments using this system, seven types of airbags were tested that differed in their material, coating, and presence of a tether. Data for each series of tests is provided. In addition to cost savings, the primary advantage of this system is its ability to quickly change the internal pressure. For the covering abstract see IRRD 893297.

Automobile/Motorcycle Impact Research Using Human Legs and Tibias

It has been widely reported that injury to the leg is the most common form of non-fatal trauma associated with motorcycle accidents. Furthermore, it has also been reported that the majority of motorcycle leg injuries resemble those experienced by pedestrians in that they do not involve crush. Rather, these injuries appear to involve only a direct impact between the leg and an opposing rigid object. Often the soft tissue of the limb is injured from the inside out in that sharp bone fragments and jagged ends lacerate the soft tissue as relative motion occurs. The complexity of understanding these results is due to a combination of impact effects, biological material properties and human geometric considerations. Our ongoing research, underway for several years, is providing the fundamental data for cadaver leg and bone impact response. To conduct this research a unique test facility has been developed that simulates collisions between automobiles and pedestrians, motorcycles, or bicycles. Results are presented and discussed for the purposes of understanding fracture behavior of the human leg and tibia. For the covering abstract see IRRD 853578.

Research implications: an evaluation of residential evacuation practices following a train derailment/oleum spill incident

This research paper outlines the specific elements involved in the evacuation of approximately 3000 residents following a train derailment in the spring of 2002 in a suburban community in the Southeastern United States (USA). The derailment caused the release of an oleum (sulphuric acid) spill/plume. A major focus is the post-accident assessment of the procedures used for the evacuation, including recommended improvements/modifications. These recommendations were designed to improve future compliance with evacuation procedures in residential neighbourhoods.

A TOOL FOR DOWNHILL ACCIDENT ANALYSIS AND BRAKE DESIGN EVALUATION

Vehicle design, accident analyses, vehicle system design (e.g. braking systems), and road design often require computer modelling of vehicles moving downhill. This paper describes the development of a simple computer model that can provide users with a general tool for the analysis of the energy terms associated with ground-based vehicles moving downhill. The tool is general in that it is applicable to various vehicles (trains, tractor-trailer trucks, small trucks, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.) but under restricted conditions it is also applicable (via minor changes) to particular objects (e.g. skiers and rolling objects). The model uses an energy-balance approach to determine downhill speed and simulation results can be presented in a number of forms. The model is applied in this paper to evaluate a trucking accident.