Injury frequency and severity in rollover car crashes as related to occupant ejection, contacts and roof damage: —An analysis of national crash severity study data—

National Crash Severity Study data on tow-away, passenger cars that rolled over and had top damage due to ground contact were reviewed to study the occupants, overall injury severity, the influence of vehicle factors (occupant contacts and roof damage) on occupant injury frequency, and the effects of occupant ejection. The frequency of the more serious injuries or fatalities to rollover occupants who are not ejected is the same as in occupants in all types of crashes. The more serious injuries and fatalities are 17 times more frequent to ejected occupants in rollover crashes. Of the serious injuries more are sustained by occupant to ground contact than by occupant/roof interaction. Roof damage is not causally related to injury severity in rollover crashes.