Serious head and neck injury as a predictor of occupant position in fatal rollover crashes

Abstract Serious head and neck injuries are a common finding in fatalities associated with rollover crashes. In some fatal rollover crashes, particularly when ejection occurs, the determination of which occupant was driving at the time of the crash may be uncertain. In the present investigation, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forensic science international 2012-10, Vol.222 (1), p.228-233
Main Authors: Freeman, M.D, Dobbertin, K, Kohles, S.S, Uhrenholt, L, Eriksson, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abbreviated Injury Scale
Accidents, Traffic
Biological and medical sciences
Biomechanics
Craniocerebral Trauma - epidemiology
Crashes
Criminal investigations
Crush tests
Databases, Factual
Evidence
Fatal
Fatalities
Fatality
Forensic Epidemiology
Forensic Medicine
Forensic sciences
General aspects
Humans
Injury Severity Score
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Mathematical models
Medical sciences
MEDICIN
MEDICINE
Models, Statistical
Morfologi, cellbiologi, patologi
Morphology, cell biology, pathology
Neck injuries
Neck Injuries - epidemiology
Pathology
Patologi
Posture
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Rollover
Rollover crash
Roofs
rullover crash
Rättsmedicin
Spinal Cord Injuries - epidemiology
Spinal Fractures - epidemiology
Traffic accidents & safety
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Summary:Abstract Serious head and neck injuries are a common finding in fatalities associated with rollover crashes. In some fatal rollover crashes, particularly when ejection occurs, the determination of which occupant was driving at the time of the crash may be uncertain. In the present investigation, we describe the analysis of rollover crash data from the National Automotive Sampling System–Crashworthiness Data System for the years 1997 through 2007 in which we examined the relationship between a serious head and neck injury in an occupant and a specified degree of roof deformation at the occupant's seating position. We found 960 occupants who qualified for the analysis, with 142 deaths among the subjects. Using a ranked composite head and neck injury score (the HNISS) we found a strong relationship between HNISS and the degree of roof crush. As a result of the analysis, we arrived at a predictive model, in which each additional unit increase in HNISS equated to an increased odds of roof crush as follows: for ≥8 cm of roof crush compared with
ISSN:0379-0738
1872-6283
1872-6283
DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.06.003