Numerical reconstruction and injury biomechanism in a car-pedestrian crash accident / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To reconstruct a car-pedestrian crash accident using numerical simulation technology and explore the injury biomechanism as forensic evidence for injury identification.@*METHODS@#An integration of multi-body dynamic, finite element (FE), and classical method was applied to a car-pedestrian crash accident. The location of the collision and the details of the traffic accident were determined by vehicle trace verification and autopsy. The accident reconstruction was performed by coupling the three-dimensional car behavior from PC-CRASH with a MADYMO dummy model. The collision FE models of head and leg, developed from CT scans of human remains, were loaded with calculated dummy collision parameters. The data of the impact biomechanical responses were extracted in terms of von Mises stress, relative displacement, strain and stress fringes.@*RESULTS@#The accident reconstruction results were identical with the examined ones and the biomechanism of head and leg injuries, illustrated through the FE methods, were consistent with the classical injury theories.@*CONCLUSION@#The numerical simulation technology is proved to be effective in identifying traffic accidents and exploring of injury biomechanism.

Epidemiologic characteristics of drivers, vehicles, pedestrians and road environments involved in road traffic injuries in rural Thailand.

This report presents descriptive epidemiology of vehicle-related crashes that caused severe injuries in a defined geographical area in northern Thailand, conducted to determine the nature of injuries and factors that contributed to the crashes. In each incident, the driver and other victims were identified and interviewed by a trained public health worker using a standard investigation form. During 1991, 286 single-vehicle crashes (66.4%), 117 crashes with other vehicles (27.1%), and 28 crashes involving pedestrians (6.5%) occurred in the area. These crashes injured 581 persons (551 vehicle occupants and 30 pedestrians), of whom 36 (6.2%) died. The vehicles involved in the crashes included 11 bicycles (2.3%), 371 motorcycles (78.6%), and 90 other motor vehicles (ie, pick-up trucks, lorries, and cars) (19.1%). Motorcycle-related crashes accounted for the majority of injuries and deaths. Driver risk factors for traffic injuries, such as alcohol consumption, lack of a valid driving licence, limited driving experience, and being a teenage driver, occurred more commonly among drivers of motorcycles than of other motor vehicles. Poor vehicle conditions and road environments reported in some incidents may have posed additional risks. Pedestrian factors, including young and old age, and alcohol use, may also have contributed to the occurrence of pedestrian injuries. Our system of data collection using an investigation form can provide relevant information, leading to the development of appropriate accident prevention programs for the community.