Low speed rear impact crashes (LOSRIC) don’t cause injuries.
Injuries heal in 6-12 weeks.
Litigation has an effect on the patient’s recovery.
The patient’s pre-injury psychological makeup affects recovery.
Greater vehicle damage=greater occupant injury.
Accident reconstructionists can predic injury potential.
Most injuries occur at crash speeds below 12 mph.
Most cars withstand 8-12 mph impact without structural damage.
More then half of all LOSRIC injuries occur without vehicle damage.
There is no correlation between vehicle damage and outcome.
The peak acceleration of the head is much greater than the peak acceleration of the vehicle.
A 5 mph ΔV (delta V or “Change in velocity”) crash typically produces about 10-12 g of acceleration of the occupant’s head.
More than 3 million Americans are injured this way each year.
The reported risk of injury in a low speed rear impact crash (LOSRIC) is 35-68%. The Japanese Automobile Insurance Rating Association reports a 50% neck injury rate.
About 10% of those injured become permanently disabled.
“Minor” neck injuries account for up to 60% of all permanent impairment claims.
So, for every 6,000,000 occupants in LOSRIC:
1. About 3,000,000 will be injured.
2. About 1,500,000 will have chronic pain. About 300,000 of these will also become disabled; usually due to pain.
Nearly half of all chronic neck pain in America is due to car crashes – mostly LOSRIC.
About 9% of all Americans suffer from chronic neck pain due to LOSRIC
Kids are at 2/3 the risk of adults.
Rear directionimpact.
Limited range of motion; neurological symptoms after crash
Ligamentous instability after crash.
Degenerative disease, headaches, or neck injury or pain prior to crash.
Head turned at impact, or occupant in poor position at impact.
Non-awareness of impact.
Non-failure of seat back.
The use of seat belt/shoulder harness.
No head restraint or poor heaf restraint position.
Female gender or advanced age.
The injury threshold for females, or those caught unaware, or those with:
Head turned
Prior injury
will usually drop below 5 mph, particularly with multiples of these risk factors.
Prior headaches
Prior neck pain
Poor head restraints
Poor position in car
Arthitis
Advance age
Disc diseas
Shoulder harness
Rear impact
Non-failure of seat