Pedestrian Car Crashes
Introduction:
A car crashing into you could turn your world upside down quite literally. One moment you could be happily walking down the street like any other day, and in just a few moments you could be down on the ground, dazed and wondering what happened (if you are still conscious and alive). Nothing can seem as surreal as getting hit by a car. No one thinks it will happen to them but nothing is impossible.
What causes pedestrian crashes?
Pedestrian crashes can be the fault of either the pedestrian, the driver, or both. Wearing low-visibility clothes at night, not looking before crossing a street, or jaywalking are some things a pedestrian might do that increase their chances of getting hit. A driver increases their chances of crashing if they drive over the speed limit, use their phone while driving, or are drunk.
Statistics:
In 2021, around 49% of crashes that resulted in pedestrian deaths involved the use of alcohol.
In 2021, almost 8,000 pedestrians were killed in the US as a result of a motor vehicle crash.
In 2020, there were around 104,000 pedestrian emergency room visits for car crashes.
60% of pedestrian car crash deaths were on urban roads with speed limits of 45-55mph
California is at the top of the US for pedestrian death with a pedestrian fatality rate of 2.82 per 100,000 people
According to the Insurance Institute for Traffic Safety, a 5 mph increase in max speed limit would result in an 8% increase in deaths on freeways and a 3% increase on other roads.
“The average risk of death for a pedestrian reaches 10% at an impact speed of 23 mph, 25% at 32 mph, 50% at 42 mph, 75% at 50 mph, and 90% at 58 mph.” - Foundation for Traffic Safety
What does it feel like? (Personal experience)
If you are still conscious after getting hit by a car, you will likely find yourself on the ground, stunned and unable to move. The first few moments after a crash will be filled with confusion about what happened. In my case, I was riding my bike when I was rear-ended by a car going 40 mph. The crash seemed to happen in an instant. I was biking home on the same route I biked every day when suddenly something hit me from behind and I went flying forward with my bike. It took a few moments of pondering on the ground before I realized I was hit. Immediately following the crash, my body was stunned and unable to move for what seemed to be a minute or two and all I was able to do was stare at the car with my face against the pavement. When I regained some of my strength, I slowly got up and got to the side of the road. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much pain at all and my body just felt very stiff. Adrenaline was pumping through my body and that helped me ignore the immediate pain. It wasn’t until 5 to 10 minutes later that the pain started to intensify. When I talked to the person who hit me, my voice was very shaky. My body also started trembling when I was trying to move. There was an intense trembling in my hands that I wasn't able to control. It would gradually subside in the next day or two. When the emergency responders arrived, they examined my injuries (some road rash) and they had to check my blood pressure and heart rate. I was also taken in an ambulance to a trauma ward in the hospital because I was told it is the procedure to do so if the car was going at 40 mph or above.
Injuries:
In most cases, when a pedestrian is hit by a car, the car will likely contact their legs first, and then the person’s upper body and head will make contact with the vehicle. The impact will accelerate the person to the speed the car was going at. The person will fly forward at that speed and then crash into the pavement. Some common injuries include:
Broken bones from the 3 impacts a person will experience
Head injuries from hitting the car or hitting the ground after initial impact
Back injuries like a broken spine can lead to paralysis
Internal injuries such as internal bleeding and damage to organs
Strains, tears, and contusions in soft tissue
In my accident, I was lucky to have been wearing two backpacks and a helmet which absorbed much of the initial impact. I was spared from very serious injuries. The impact with the road was rough and I landed on my rear and lower back. The road ripped through my shorts and gave me road rash on my buttocks and lower back. The road rash on my back (pictured below) looked to almost reach my spine. In the following week or two I was suffering from muscle pain all around my body which was akin to intense soreness.
Effects on Athletes:
Athletes who unluckily get in a car crash will likely have to face months to years of recovery and rehabilitation to get back to their sports. Sometimes they might never be able to recover enough to play their sport again. Car crashes can come at any time and will be sure to mess up an athlete’s training and competitive season. It can come before, during, or after a season; none of which are good for an athlete. In the case of Kento Momota – the number one men's singles badminton player in 2019 – he got into a car crash in 2020, an Olympic year. The car crash led to the death of the driver and left Momota with an orbital floor fracture (eye socket fracture). This injury gave him double vision which would greatly impair his ability to track a shuttlecock on the badminton court. Badminton athletes need to have great vision to track and quickly respond to the shuttlecocks which can reach up to 565 km/hr (about 351 mph).
His recovery took 3 months off-court to recover from this injury and he had to miss many important tournaments and practices to prepare for the 2020 Olympics in which he was originally favored to win. Due to only having 2 months of training before the Olympics, he was knocked out in the first round even though he was seeded first to win the gold medal.
Conclusion:
Getting hit by a car is a genuine possibility many people don’t think about until it happens to them. It can quickly change someone’s life if it doesn’t kill them. Athletes especially can suffer from such accidents, as the body they train so much will be wrecked and their opportunities stripped away. It’s always good to be aware of the streets so such things won’t happen.
Sources:
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