Injuries After Car Accidents with Steel Rear Truck Bumpers
It was as if a bomb had just exploded, Jeff explained holding his head and neck. Still in a daze he got out of his truck and made his way back to see a mid-sized car behind him. The front end of the car was steaming and dripping hot fluids onto the asphalt below. The damage was heavy. He couldn’t believe his eyes when his eyes then turned to his truck’s rear bumper. The gleaming chrome step bumper with trailer hitch wasn’t even dinged.
It boggled his mind. He knew he felt a huge force from behind. He felt it. His body jerked and change from his center console flew out and his sunglasses came off his head! Yet, he could just barely see a scuff marks on the tow hitch.
By the time I saw Jeff in my office 2 days later, he told me he was suffering from headaches, dizziness, his neck was painful and he had occasional shooting pains down his left arm. He went on to tell me that he could not believe that his symptoms were due to the accident. Jeff knew what he felt, but he was still in denial because it just didn’t make sense. He showed me the pictures from his cell phone.
A simple picture tells the tale.
I then asked him a few questions about how he felt just before the collision. He said he felt great had just finished a 10 hour day as a plumbing contractor. I asked about hobbies. He liked to hike, he went to the gym twice a week, he wanted to go more, but he was busy and had a hard time finding time. He had an off-road vehicle he enjoyed. In other words, he felt fine and lived an active work and home lifestyle without impairments or pain.
And how did you feel after the accident and today? Terrible. He called in sick today for the first time since he had a knee surgery 10 years ago. He had trouble thinking clearly and his neck was very sore and stiff. There was no way he was going to be able to lift pipe and bend his neck down all day like usual. So Jeff felt fine before the accident and immediately after and continuing, he was in pain and unable to work.
That’s when I explained the problem with truck bumpers to Jeff.
When two vehicle collide, the bumpers crumple to absorb energy. Any energy left over after the crumpling travels through the vehicle and into the occupants. More energy is absorbed when there is a lot of vehicle crumpling. Less energy is absorbed when there is very little crumpling. Therefore, less vehicle damage means potentially more occupant energy and damage.
Steel truck bumpers are designed as a step and as a hard point bolted to the frame of the truck to tow heavy objects. By design they are stiff and unyielding. They are designed to provide towing strength tot he truck. What they are not designed for is occupant protection. Rather than crumple and absorb energy, they transfer energy into the frame of the truck and into the occupant.
Therefore, in 2 similar collisions one with 2 passenger cars colliding and both bumpers crumpling results in some energy to the occupant. The second collision with a car striking a truck with a steel bumper, results in some energy being absorbed by the striking vehicle’s bumper, but almost no energy is absorbed by the truck and therefore relatively more energy is transferred to to the truck’s occupant versus the first collision.
So even though trucks seem sturdy and you would think that you are well protected by the steel bumper, you are actually at a greater risk of whiplash in a truck with a steel bumper. The risk goes up when the steel bumper is also equipped with a “tow package” which further strengthens and stiffens the bumper assembly.
Once I explained this to Jeff, he was relieved to know there was an explanation for the disconnect between what he felt and what his eyes told him. It’s counter intuitive, but once you understand the science behind it, it makes sense.
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*The above story is based on an actual patient encounter using a different name. It is used to illustrate a common problem seen by Dr Barry Marks, chiropractor and car accident injury expert.