This paper examines crash characteristics and the resulting injuries to occupants whose seat position is on the side of impact in a vehicle exposed to a side collision. The databases of the 1988-1996 National Accident Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS) and the 1995-1998 William Lehman Injury Research Center (WLIRC) are examined. The subset of cases analyzed is those in which there is a vehicle-to-vehicle near-side collision, occupant compartment damage and no subsequent collision or rollover. 46 cases from the WLIRC database met the study criteria. NASS/CDS database injuries are described on the basis of body region and severity, showing chest/abdomen as the most frequent Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS) 3+ injured body regions. The WLIRC data is more representative of severe crashes than NASS and provides more detailed injury descriptions. In comparison to NASS/CDS, the WLIRC database contains a higher percentage of the following chest/abdominal injuries: thoracic aorta, heart and spleen. The WLIRC data contains 21 occupants in near-side vehicle-to-vehicle crashes with MAIS 3+ brain injury. The most frequent source of brain injury was the striking vehicle. Several similarities were observed regarding the vehicle damage patterns among seven cases with the least severe door intrusion. Other factors include older occupants, female occupants, and an unrestrained occupant on the far side of the vehicle.
Abstract