Nine unembalmed male cadavers, each restrained with a three point harness were subjected to frontal force collisions at Barrier Equivalent Velocities (BEV) of 20, 30 and 40 mph on WHAM III. Injuries similar to those sustained by living humans wearing belts in automobile accidents including bruises, soft tissue damage, skeletal fracture and organ injuries were observed. Injuries at 20 mph BEV were all rated AIS-1 consisting of bruises and a single rib fracture. At 30 mph BEV the injuries ranged from AIS-1 to AIS-3 with the most severe injury consisting of fractures of ribs 2 through 6 on the inboard side of one cadaver. Severe injuries resulted from the 40 mph BEV exposure with a range of AIS-3 to AIS-8. At 40 mph BEV rib and vertebra fractures, lacerated liver, ruptured spleen, torn mesentery, bruised and torn muscles, and bowel transections were observed in the cadavers from post experiment roentgenograms and detailed autopsies.

The injury severity at a given collision severity wa greater for the cadavers than for living humans based upon comparison with injuries from an accident investigation program. There were no fatalities in frontal force accidents at severities up to 53 mph BEV in the field study, while three out of four of the cadavers at 40 mph BEV received injuries that would have been fatal.

Injury potential from safety devices such as harnesses can be evaluated with cadavers providing a correction is made for the lower injury threshold of collision severity. More realistic results will be achieved as the techniques associated with cadaver experimentation are refined, including the use of simulated muscle tone and normal tissue temperature.