New Research Shows Head and Upper Body Injuries to Pedestrians Result from Windshield Impact

New Research Shows Head and Upper Body Injuries to Pedestrians Result from Windshield Impact

Concerned that some types of collisions have been under-addressed in automobile safety systems, Rikard Fredriksson of Sweden’s Department of Public Health Sciences studied pedestrian accidents in Germany and Sweden in order to help evaluate and set priorities for developing car-mounted safety systems to lessen severe upper-body injuries, head injuries, and deaths of pedestrians involved in car crashes. The research shows that upper-body collision with the car’s lower windshield is a common cause of severe injuries and deaths in adults, especially in those accidents where the head is struck.

Fredriksson performed head-to-hood component tests followed by brain simulations to evaluate the effects of the under-hood distance and head impact speed. The data show that 31 percent of the injured pedestrians in this type of collision suffered a permanent impairment, and 5 percent sustained a more severe impairment, with traumatic head injuries the most common type of severe impairment or death.

The front of the car frequently causes leg injuries, which have been addressed in setting design standards in Europe, whereas the windshield was the predominant cause of head injuries. These injuries have not been well addressed in establishing safety standards. Chest injuries often result from impacts with both the hood and windshield. Child pedestrians receive most head injuries from the hood of the car. The study focused on the head-to-windshield area and chest-to-hood/windshield areas and evaluated brain injury in hood and windshield impacts.

Clearwater Pedestrian accident lawyer Jim Dodson offers residents of Florida who were injured in a pedestrian collision his free “Florida Pedestrian Accident Guide,” to help explain the claim’s process and your legal rights in holding the careless driver responsible. Call 727-446-0840 for your copy.