Upon seeing the aftermath of a car crash between two vehicles, most of us will assume that only one collision occurred.
However, if this were true, then injuries such as bruising, whiplash and internal bleeding probably wouldn’t exist in such a scenario.
Here are the three crashes that occur in a single accident between two cars.
CRASH #1: VEHICLE TO VEHICLE OR VEHICLE TO OBJECT
This is the collision that everyone sees. After a car crash bodies of what used to be whole cars are turned into mangled messes, with debris and fluids strewn all over the road.
That’s what happens after the car bodies and passenger safety cells absorb the initial impact.
(More: Are cars really safer than ever?)
CRASH #2: BODY TO OBJECTS
Following the initial impact, occupants’ bodies now slam against other objects.
If the passengers are buckled up properly, the seat belts will restrain the bodies. This force, however, causes the seat belt-shaped bruising across the torso.
Front seat occupants who don’t have their seat belts fastened will end up slamming their faces or heads against the dashboard, steering wheel or even windscreen.
Backseat passengers who haven’t buckled up will usually end up face-first against the back of the front seat headrests.
Their bodies may also slam against the back of the rear seats. In a worst-case scenario, they can even be ejected from the vehicle.
CRASH #3: OUR ORGANS AGAINST OUR BODIES
Many of us don’t realise that this is the cause of internal injuries in a car crash.
Remember, due to momentum, our internal organs also don’t stop moving after the car slams into another vehicle and our bodies slam against the seat belts.
The illustration above shows how whiplash can cause brain injuries. This is a perfect example of how internal injuries can occur.