Roof Damage Patterns and Serious Head Injuries in Pure Rollover Crashes

This study evaluated the association between the pattern of roof damage resulting from a pure rollover crash and the incidence of serious head injuries (SHIs) for contained, restrained occupants. As part of a larger project with the goal of developing a dynamic crash test protocol for rollover occupant protection, these associations will help to define the initial conditions of a rollover test that produce the damage patterns that are most likely to result in SHI. Pure rollover crashes from the U.S. National Automotive Sampling System's Crashworthiness Data System were used in the study. The roof damage pattern above the seat position of each occupant in the data set was identified by the photographs included in each case file and coded to one of eight specified patterns; 1,151 cases in which the damage pattern could be determined for a relevant rollover occupant were identified. SHIs were observed only for cases with evidence of a roof-to-ground impact. Although the results indicated that this pattern of roof damage was associated with the occurrence of SHI, the pattern was rarely more significant than other crash outcome parameters.