A BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF HEAD IMPACT INJURIES TO CHILDREN

Head-first free-falls of 30 children, 1-10 years old and one adult, 21 years old, were studied to determine fall circumstances and injuries sustained. The falls of six children and one adult were simulated using the MVMA Two-Dimensional Crash Victim Simulator computer model. The data shows that head-first falls of children onto rigid surfaces from heights as low as 2 meters can result in serious injuries. Conservative head injury tolerance limits are estimated to be 200-250g for peak head acceleration. /Author/