Statement of the events
occurring during the first fatal second after a car going 55 miles per hour
hits a solid object.
1. In the first 10th of a second,
the front bumper and grill collapse.
2. The second 10th finds the hood
crumbling, rising, and striking the windshield as the spinning rear wheels lift
from the ground. Simultaneously, fenders
begin wrapping themselves around the solid object. Although the car’s frame has been halted, the
rest of the car is still going 55 miles per hour. Instinct causes the driver to stiffen his
legs against the crash, and they snap at the knee joint.
3. During the third 10th of a
second, the steering wheel starts to disintegrate and the steering column aims
for the driver’s chest.
4. The fourth 10th of a second finds
two feet of the car’s front end wrecked, while the rear end still moves at 35
miles per hour. The driver’s body is
still traveling at 55 miles per hour.
5. In the fifth 10th of a second,
the driver is impaled on the steering column, and blood rushes into his lungs.
6. The sixth 10th of a second, the
impact has built up to the point that the driver’s feet are ripped out of
tightly laced shoes. The break pedal
breaks off. The car frame buckles in the
middle. The driver’s head smashes into
the windshield as the rear wheels, still spinning, fall back to earth.
7. In the seventh 10th of a second,
hinges rip loose, doors fly open, and the seats break free, striking the driver
from behind.
8. The seat striking the driver does not bother
him because he is already dead. The last
three 10ths of the second mean nothing to the driver.
From an article in 1991 by
the Georgia Paramedics Against Drunk Driving.
LFC
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