Wearing a three-point safety harness can save your life. This is your best protection from life-threatening car accident-related injuries. In fact, since their introduction in 1973, three-point seat belts have reduced the number of fatal crash injuries by 50%.
However, even if it saves your life, it can cause a variety of seat belt injuries. The type of injury depends on the direction of impact. A three-point harness or safety belt secures a person’s torso to the car seat. It is located on the shoulders, chest, and lower abdomen near the buttocks. During a collision, seat belts transmit impact forces to passengers, and these attachment points become sites of blunt trauma. If the force of the collision is strong enough, it can even damage the underlying organs.
What are some seat belt related injuries?
A 2017 study published in the Journal of Emergency, Trauma and Shock highlighted common patterns of seat belt injuries among car crash patients:
chest and shoulder injuries
If the seat belt is worn correctly, the chest and sternum are the direct points of impact in a frontal collision. The sternum and ribs protect your lungs, heart, spleen, and upper part of the liver, so any damage to this area may also affect these delicate organs.
In rare cases, the first and second ribs break away from the shoulder girdle, which can puncture major blood vessels (carotid and subclavian vessels) and cause severe bleeding.
What you should do:
If you experience any difficulty breathing or chest pain, you need to seek immediate medical intervention to rule out any fatal injury.
Seat Belt Symbols and Seat Belt Syndrome
Seatbelt marks are typical bruises or abrasions on the chest and abdomen where the seatbelt comes into contact with the body. If the seat belt sign is present, internal injuries are likely to occur.
Seatbelt syndrome, on the other hand, involves seatbelt symptoms leading to injuries to the spine and abdominal organs.
What you should do:
Seat belt signs may indicate damage to internal organs and should not be ignored. If you notice bruising, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.
intra-abdominal organ damage
Unlike the thoracic organs, the abdominal organs are not protected by bones (at least not in the front or front). Impact forces may cause intestinal injuries such as intestinal perforation or intestinal rupture and seromuscular tears.
What you should do:
Symptoms related to injuries to the abdomen, soft tissues, and underlying organs may not appear immediately. If you experience abdominal pain hours or days after the accident, you still need to seek medical evaluation and treatment to prevent complications.
Injuries to bones and other musculoskeletal structures
Accidental breaks, also known as belt breaks, are more common in lap belts than in three-point harnesses. These are caused by the spine bending forcefully (or the spine bending toward the abdomen) and then the spine extending.
What you should do:
If you experience back pain after a car accident, you should seek the advice of a medical professional, such as the board-certified doctors at our auto injury clinic. He will help resolve this problem and prevent possible complications, such as progressive kyphosis and spinal deformity.
Where can you visit our 3 car accident clinics?
Our car accident and pain management doctor, Dr. Escobar, always tells his patients that even a minor car accident may cause some injuries that you are not aware of and may become serious in the long run. .
Our compassionate and professional team will look after you and ensure you get the help you need. Please call our Auto Injury Clinic at 954 322 8586 to make an appointment.
For your convenience, you can visit us at any of our three locations:
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute the provision of medical advice and does not substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your health, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider.
