TRAUMA CENTER BASED CRASH INVESTIGATION RESEARCH: METHODOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently sponsored crash investigation studies in which accident reconstructionists work in conjunction with Level I Trauma Center staff. The detailed analysis of crash circumstances and injury producing mechanisms is developed in concert with a forensic analysis of injury producing forces and tissue response. In this paper, the methodologies employed in this trauma based research are compared with those of other major data systems. The background and focus of each research program is described and the data needs that can be met are addressed.