Brain lesions in motor vehicle crashes:​ differences between side and frontal impacts

Compagnone, Christian<sup>1,2</sup>; Tagliaferri, Fernanda<sup>1,2</sup>; Yoganandan, Narayan<sup>1,2</sup>; Gennarelli, Thomas A.<sup>1,2</sup>

Affiliations

¹Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Abstract and keywords

This study determined the characteristics of brain lesions as a function of frontal, lateral, and oblique impacts. Data were extracted from NASS general Crashworthiness Data System. 1,980 lesions in frontal and 1,278 lesions in side crashes were analyzed. There was a significant difference in the change in velocity (DV) between frontal, oblique, and pure lateral crashes. There appeared to be a relationship between injury type and DV needed to produce different brain lesions in frontal crashes. In side crashes, this relationship was not as clear. The mean DV required to produce any lesion was lower in oblique than pure lateral collision. These findings indicate the severity of the oblique crash vector for brain injury susceptibility, and the importance of this mode in crashworthiness.

Keywords: biomechanics; brain injury; frontal impacts; side impacts; velocity

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