Airbag-Induced Injury Mechanisms for Infants in Rear-Facing Child Restraints

Document Number: 973296

Date Published: November 1997

Author(s):
Dr Jeffrey S Augenstein - Univ Of Miami
Dr Kennerly Digges - George Washington Univ
Elana B Perdeck - Univ Of Miami
James E Stratton - Univ Of Miami
Louis V Lombardo - National Hwy Traffic Safety Admin
Jami Williamson - Univ Of Miami

Abstract:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Special Crash Investigations database contains twelve completed cases of child fatalities in rearward-facing child seats caused by deploying airbags. Three of these are now available for examination. An additional two cases were investigated by the William Lehman Injury Research Center at the University of Miami School of Medicine. These five cases are examined to evaluate crash environment, injury mechanisms, and circumstances which caused the child to be in front of the passenger-side airbag.

Four of the cases were crashes with impacts with the side of other cars with crash severities less than 15 mph. The predominate injury mechanism was brain and skull injury from a blow transmitted to the rear of the head through the child seat back. In one case, the force to the head was transmitted downward, directly from airbag contact. In this case, the infant showed no sign of injury at the scene, and there was no damage or displacement of the rearward-facing child seat. The child died 24 hours later of brain injuries.

Examination of the circumstances surrounding the crashes indicates that many opportunities were missed for providing warning of the danger of airbag injuries to infants in rear-facing child safety seats. Inaccurate, incomplete, and inadequate warnings existed regarding the use of rearward-facing child safety seats during the time period in which the crashes in this investigation occurred (1995-1996).

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See other papers presented at 41st Stapp Car Crash Conference, November 1997, Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA, Session: Air Bags And Seating Position - Effect On Child Injury

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