#LITTLE DISC ON SEAT BELT SKIN#

Mechanisms of injury during frontal impact. Although we discuss specific frontal impact–related injuries, more extensive and unpredictable injuries can occur when the occupant is unrestrained with or without ejection from the car, when restraints are used improperly, when there is substantial intrusion, or when airbags are not present or deploy incorrectly.įigure 1. Safety devices including seat belts also may contribute to injuries. Injuries from the crash may be complicated further by other events such as ejection of a person from the vehicle, secondary impacts, inhalation injuries from smoke or water, and penetrating trauma.ĭuring frontal impact MVCs ( Fig 1), injury to the occupant can result from contact with or intrusion by a variety of the vehicle’s structural components, including the steering column, the dashboard (also called the instrument panel), the front windshield and its vertical supports ( A-pillars), and the foot pedals and floorboard (also called the toe pan) ( 6). Injury type and severity from MVCs depend on a variety of factors, including the passenger’s height, age, body habitus, sobriety, seat location, and body positioning at time of impact, the size of the vehicle and safety features, the shape and size of the colliding vehicle or object, the angle and combined speed of impact, the use of restraints, airbag deployment, and the presence of other occupants and/or objects in the vehicle with which the passenger may collide ( 2, 3, 5). Lateral or side-impact MVCs, in which the car is hit from the side by another car or a fixed object, account for approximately one-third of MVCs and result in 30% of fatalities, while rear-end collisions are the least common and result in the fewest fatalities ( 1– 4).

Approximately two-thirds of all MVCs involve frontal impact, when the car collides head-on with another car or a fixed object, and frontal impact MVCs account for 65% of MVC fatalities ( 1). Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a substantial cause of fatalities, short- and long-term morbidity, and medical cost worldwide. See discussion on this article by Ballard and Mellnick.

The specific mechanism-based injury patterns are reviewed to establish a structured systematic search pattern that enables the radiologist to identify traumatic injuries with greater accuracy and speed, thereby improving the care of patients who experience acute trauma. Lateral impact crashes often result in traumatic brain, thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic injuries, which are more often fatal to occupants on the side of the impact. Distal lower extremity injuries are encountered frequently when the floorboard is driven into the foot. Impact of a flexed knee with the dashboard during a frontal collision can cause knee, thigh, and hip injuries. Steering wheel deformity is an independent predictor of serious thoracic and abdominal injury among front-seat passengers. Impact with the steering wheel or windshield during a frontal crash can cause characteristic injuries to the head, neck, torso, and distal upper extremity.

#LITTLE DISC ON SEAT BELT SKIN#

The spectrum of seat belt–related injuries ranges from mild skin and soft-tissue contusions to traumatic bowel injuries and unstable spine injuries that require surgery. Although the proper use of seat belts decreases crash-related mortality during frontal impact, certain injury patterns to the torso are directly attributed to restraint use. Certain types of injuries are more likely to result from frontal versus side-impact collisions, and knowledge of these specific patterns and why they occur aids in accurate and efficient diagnosis of traumatic injuries. Motor vehicle collisions cause substantial mortality, morbidity, and expense worldwide.

Little disc on seat belt