Patterns of injury sustained by car occupants with relation to the direction of impact with motor vehicle trauma — evidence based review

Abstract

Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) have been reported as the leading cause of major trauma and subsequent morbidity and mortality, for people under 20 and those between 20 and 64 years of age. Crash fatalities have significantly reduced in number since the introduction of appropriate seat belt restraints and air bags for drivers and front seat passengers. Other factors which have positively influenced the outcome of MVCs include information from pre-hospital personnel at the crash scene, regarding the vehicle's exterior and interior damage, in addition to the direction of impact. The patterns of injury sustained by car occupants during a collision depend upon the direction of impact. We provide an up to date review of the key literature regarding injury patterns sustained to occupants of light passenger vehicles (passenger cars, vans, utility vehicles and pickup trucks) in correlation with the direction of impact. We strongly believe that this knowledge can allow pre-hospital personnel and clinicians in the emergency department to gain foresight when suspecting and identifying the injuries sustained by car occupants during a motor vehicle collision.