Does roof crush cause paraplegia or quadriplegia?

Automakers have long argued that in rollover accidents, roof crush does not directly cause paraplegia, quadriplegia, or other major injuries. Based on this argument, the auto industry has fought regulations that would make the roof stronger to prevent or at least reduce the amount of roof crush. If enacted, it could cost millions in design, testing, and extra materials.

So what does cause massive injury, according to the automakers? The theory is that occupants in a car that rolls over suffer from “diving injuries.” The name comes from a type of injury where a person dives into a pool of water or rocky lake, and strikes the hard bottom headfirst. Skull injuries are common, but also severe neck trauma as well. This can result in a broken neck or vertebrae and spinal cord injury. If the occupant survives, it is likely that the person will be paralyzed either from the waist down (paraplegia) or from the neck down (quadriplegia).

The auto industry claims that these diving-type injuries come from the head striking the roof, usually on the first roll. It is more common in people who are not wearing seatbelts, which they use as further proof of their argument.

Up until this time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has taken the automakers’ test results and conclusions at face value. However a recent report using data that Ford made available to the public seems to say otherwise. An independent researcher reviewed the data and found that in fact the diving-type injuries described were very minor. In other words, in cases where the crash dummies did strike the roof in a rollover, the force was not great enough to cause paraplegia or any other major injury at the time of the accident. In fact, it was only in tests where the roof was crushed that researcher saw any sign of forces strong enough to cause those injuries. There is only one conclusion: roof crush can and does directly cause major catastrophic injury including paraplegia and quadriplegia.

If you have been injured in an auto accident that resulted in paraplegia, quadriplegia, or other devastating injury, contact the personal injury lawyers at Jim S. Adler & Associates. We have provided our clients with the protection and representation they need for over 30 years. Don’t get stuck paying massive medical bills, long-term care, and other costs on your own. Let us help you get the compensation you need to recover in the time that you need without the added strain of financial worry.

Contact a  Jim S. Adler & Associates personal injury lawyer by phone or by clicking the link on this page for a free case review.

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