Most of us have heard both sides of the debate as to whether tensing up before an accident will help or hurt, but few of us have heard any real research to back up opinions. Further, you may also have heard that the inebriated person in a car accident usually comes out better as far as injuries, because he or she does not tense up or brace. So which is it—do you brace for impact, or let your body go limp?
As far as airplane crashes, there is definitive proof to show that those who adopt a brace position (heads bent forward, feet planted on the floor) are much less likely to sustain severe head trauma regardless of where the passenger’s seat is located. In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration has a long history of studying whether bracing hurts or helps. Since 1967, the FAA has been studying brace positions on crash test dummies, in an effort to determine the best brace position. Although the postures recommended in a place crash have changed slightly over the last five decades, the basic principles remain the same—lean forward, placing your head as close as possible to the seat directly in front of you—a body that is pressed against the back of the seat risks what is known as secondary impact—when the head snaps forward into an unyielding surface.
If your plane is about to crash you not only have more time to assume a bracing position, you are also fairly unlikely to survive the crash. In an auto accident, you generally have no warning of an impending crash—unless you look up into your rearview mirror and see a vehicle barreling toward you. You also have a much better chance of survival in an auto crash than in a plane crash. That being said, most of us will brace without actually thinking about it if we see a car headed for us. The safest crash position in an automobile will depend on the nature of the accident, as well as the overall design of your vehicle.
One body of research found that over half of all victims of head-on collisions (probably reflexively) pressed their bodies and heads back against their seat, locking their arms against the dash or steering wheel. In this particular situation, these reflexive actions would definitely help protect the head and chest. Obviously, a head-on collision is quite different from being hit from the rear, which generally occurs at lower speeds. So, what should you do if you do if you see a car which is about to hit you in time to make the decision to brace or not?
According to one chiropractor, you should always brace for impact when you can. Those who brace tend to have fewer injuries and better long-term outcomes from those injuries. The theory is that we have lots of muscles in our neck which can potentially protect the ligaments, discs and nerves in the neck. If you remain relaxed, those ligaments, discs and nerves will take more of the force, resulting in more injury. Muscles tend to heal much faster and easier than ligaments, discs and nerves, so:
If you are properly seat-belted in your vehicle, your car has airbags, and you brace for impact, you stand a much better chance of sustaining fewer injuries. If you find you have suffered injury from a negligent driver’s actions, contact an experienced Colorado personal injury attorney as quickly as possible. At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., our committed personal injury lawyers are dedicated to the belief that everyone deserves justice. Contact us at (303) 423-1770 or (866) 385-3505.
At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., we are honored to help accident victims in their time of need, and take our responsibility as personal injury lawyers incredibly seriously. We know how important it is for victims to secure the full and fair compensation they need following a serious accident, and that is why we take a hands-on, personalized approach to every case we handle.
awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries. Read More
awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement. Read More
awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier. Read More
settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air. Read More
settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager. Read More
awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job. Read More
settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit. Read More
settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino. Read More
awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident. Read More