Cervical Spine Injury Analysis regarding Frontal and Side Impacts of Wheelchair Occupant in Vehicle by LifeMOD

According to the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), side impacts are made up 30% of all accidents (reported 1998). In the case of auto accidents, head and neck injuries were most common as 58%, injuries to the body’s trunk equaled 32%, and injuries to the abdomen were 10%. Therefore in this study, cervical spine injury of wheelchair occupant in frontal and side impact of wheelchair loaded vehicle was analyzed using computer simulation method. Result was analyzed by using LifeMOD to analyze the impact problem of Hybrid III adult male dummy in wheelchair. The occupant was restrained at the rear of wheelchair by the lap belt. The detailed fixation and restrain conditions of the wheelchair occupant are referred to SAE J22249’s recommendation. We estimated HNIC (Head and Neck Injury Criteria) based on measured data. By completing this study, we were able to make an assessment of injury analysis on the wheelchair occupant.