Catastrophic Injuries and the Physics of a Car Accident
October 14, 2024- Categories: Vehicle Accidents
It is easy to see why automobile accidents cause so many injuries. Our bodies are made of soft tissue. Vehicles and the objects they collide with are made of steel, glass, concrete, and other hard materials. This makes us vulnerable during an impact.
If you’ve been in an accident, consulting with an car accident lawyer might be a wise decision. Bruises and cuts are common, as are strains, sprains, broken bones, and concussions. But what about more serious injuries, like ruptured organs and spinal cord damage? Are there other forces at work during an accident that explain these and other catastrophic injuries? Those who have suffered such traumas might consider seeking guidance from a spinal cord injury lawyer to better understand their rights and potential compensation.
Engineering Mistakes of the Past
Early automotive designers assumed that a strong vehicle body was the best way to protect the vehicle’s occupants during a collision. “Crash resistance” was a matter of being sturdier than the other object involved, whether it was a tree, light pole, or another vehicle. Such thinking did not bode well for accident victims. Consider the following crash data from Detroit during the early days of automobiles and in Orange County nearly a century later:
| Detroit, 1917 | Orange County, 2015 | |
| Fatal automobile crashes: | 168 | 179 |
| Automobiles on the road: | 65,000 | 2,250,000 |
As you can see, these two locations from different eras had close to the same number of fatal accidents in a one-year period, despite Orange County’s having a vastly greater number of cars on the road. Safety improved for a variety of reasons, one of which was a recognition that, as counterintuitive as it may seem, a less rigid vehicle provides more protection during a collision.
Vehicles that Crumple by Design
Stock car racers have an old saying that sums up how the laws of physics apply in a car crash: “It’s not how fast you’re going, it’s how fast you come to a stop.” These drivers understand that the more abruptly a vehicle comes to rest, the more force a person inside will experience. Sir Isaac Newton expressed it this way:
Force = Mass x Acceleration
To understand force as described in Newton’s equation, we must consider two factors – mass and acceleration. The mass of an automobile remains constant during a crash, so we can disregard that factor. As for acceleration (or deceleration in this case), we need to look at one more equation:
Acceleration = (Change in Velocity)⁄(Time)
Acceleration, then, refers to the rate at which an object changes its speed and direction. The important thing to note in this equation is that time is the denominator. Thus, when we return to Newton’s equation, time will have an inverse relationship to force. The more time involved in a collision, the less force it will produce.
This is why modern vehicles are designed with “crumple zones.” Unlike their predecessors, newer cars are engineered to collapse inward in an accordion-like manner during a collision. The crumpling motion increases the time it takes for the vehicle to come to a rest after initial impact, thereby reducing the amount of force to the vehicle’s occupants. This is crucial information to understand, especially if you’re ever in need of a side impact car accident lawyer.
Neale & Fhima cares about you and your family. We’ll file a personal injury claim on your behalf and fight aggressively for the compensation you deserve.
The Human Body’s (Limited) Ability to Withstand Force
Even the most advanced safety features of today’s automobiles cannot protect us from all the force produced in a traffic accident. Some amount will be experienced by the occupants of the vehicle in every collision. When the force exceeds what the human body can handle, catastrophic injury can result.
Diffuse axonal injury (DAI), a type of traumatic brain injury, is one example. During a head-on collision, the deceleration force is so powerful that the brain shifts inside the skull. But it does not shift in one consistent motion. Individual parts of the brain have different densities relative to each other. As they shift laterally in response to the deceleration force, they do so at different rates, resulting in a shearing effect. The brain’s connective nerve fibers literally tear apart, leading to serious brain damage or death.
The human body can endure a lot. Theoretically, we could safely travel at an incredibly fast constant rate of speed, so long as we speed up and slowed down gradually enough. It is the sudden stopping motion that our bodies cannot withstand and that leads to catastrophic injury. Unfortunately, a sudden stopping motion is exactly what happens in most car accidents.
Statute of Limitations for Catastrophic Injury Cases in California
The statute of limitations in California for a personal injury claim is two years. The clock starts on the date of the car accident. If the injury was not discovered right away and took weeks or months to arise, then a lawsuit must be filed within one year from the date the injury was discovered. If your loved one died in an accident, you can file a wrongful death claim. The wrongful death statute of limitations is two years from the date your loved one died, which, in some cases, might be weeks or months after the injury occurred.
Depending on the nature of your injuries suffered in a car accident, a person may be entitled to economic and non-economic damages, including:
- Doctor and medical bills
- Future medical care
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Loss of future earnings potential
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring and disfigurement
- PTSD and emotional distress
- Loss of consortium (spouse)
- Loss of the enjoyment of life
- Funeral and burial costs (in the case of wrongful death).
This can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases. So an injured person doesn’t want to delay and let the statute of limitations lapse. The longer you wait, the less time you have to hire a car accident lawyer and get the process started.
Call a Neale & Fhima Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Today
Neale & Fhima attorneys have been in the business of winning personal injury cases for a long time. Chances are, a catastrophic injury lawyer at our firm has successfully handled a case similar to yours. We invite you to learn more about us, ask questions, gain insight and begin to forge a relationship that will help you through the difficult road ahead. Our legal staff is compassionate, caring, knowledgeable, and concerned about you and your family. Call us for a free consultation at 888-407-2955.
Attorney Aaron Fhima
Aaron Fhima is a trial attorney who has secured numerous settlements and verdicts against large corporations and some of the largest auto manufacturers in the world. Representing consumers and injury victims throughout the state of California, Aaron’s practice areas include personal injury, and lemon law litigation. Aaron has a long record of success taking on large defense firms; and he doesn’t hesitate to take cases to trial when necessary to enforce his clients’ rights. [ Attorney Bio ]
