Mother to child impact: An unusual cause of blunt chest trauma

The presence of airbags in the internal front row of cars is the main reason for not allowing children occupy the front seat while in a car. Its deployment in low-speed collision may cause injury to the front occupant especially children because of the difference in sizes. An 18-month-old girl presented in the emergency with progressive dyspnea 6 h following a road traffic accident. She was carried on the laps of her unbelted mother in the front row of a car which had low-speed collision with a stationary car parked off the road. The mother was propelled forward; hitting her head on the dash board with laceration on the forehead with the child sustaining a crush injury which was deployed by the mother instead of the airbag. This resulted in bilateral hemothoraces and lung contusion. Even when the airbag was not deployed in low-speed collusion state, the compressive effect of the passenger holding a child protectively might cause severe crushing injury like blunt chest trauma.