A Study of Occupant Injuries Classification in Automobile Accidents in Relation to Upper Extremities Bones

Abstract

Occupant injuries in case of automotive accidents are a major concern from the point of view of human life and the costs associated with the medical treatments. The injuries associated with high-speed impacts are sometimes fatal in nature. The high-speed accidents occur above vehicle speed of 50 kmph, and the accident damage duration is about 100–150 ms. However, injuries from the low-speed impact are equally severe and they may not cause loss life to human life but cause injuries which are burden on medical costs. Restraint systems in the cars have the effect of saving human lives in high-speed impacts, but they are also known to be a cause of injuries to occupant. This study deals with the classification of injuries to human in case of automotive accidents and describes a mathematical way of assigning scores to human injuries. The injury measurement scales are studied—the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), Injury Severity Score (ISS) and the Probability of Death Score (PODS). In relation to the human injuries, ample research is available for injuries to vital organs like brain, neck, chest, spine and lower extremities like thighs and knees. Very little literature is available for upper extremities such as forearms and shoulder. This paper describes the joints and bone structure for upper extremities and emphasizes the risk to upper extremities in accidents. It also describes the various types of bone fractures and the permissible loads for the fracture of bones of upper extremities.