Most likely injuries from head-on collision?

Not enough information

Not enough detail to give you an answer. Speed? Type of car? Modern with airbags and belts? Age? Medical conditions? Other vehicles in multiple crashes afterwards? Angle? Head on? Many factors. Think about it.

Death.

If you are trying to commit suicide, unless you are a total clueless moron, you don't fasten a seat belt. A head-on collision at more than about 30 miles per hour, with the other car at a similar speed, has you through the windshield. Not many survive that.

caw

Like blacbird said, if both cars are going over 30ish mph, you'll be looking at death or serious injury.

OTOH if both cars are going under, say, 5mph, you'll be looking at mild stiffness and many hours on the phone with the insurance companies.

What does your story need? For any major car accident, you could have a wide spectrum of injuries. We need a lot more information to guess at possible injuries.

It's your story and I know you didn't ask, but if strangers are driving the other car this may come across as a selfish way to commit suicide and might affect readers' feelings toward the character.

I really agree with Bufty on this one. I think this type of suicide attempt would make your character instantly dislikable rather than sympathetic. There would have to be compelling reasons for her choosing this type of action. Unless she drives head on into, say, the carriage of an enormous lorry where the risk to the other driver is minimal.

Really difficult to say what the injury would be without type of vehicle. You could probably get some quality data off the crash safety reports on: http://www.euroncap.com/home.aspx

Quite a few of the reports have illustrations and videos which demonstrate exactly what would happen to drivers in different types of accidents in different vehicles.

thisismydesign said:

What kind of injuries would be most common for that kind of crash?

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Wrong question. What kinds of injuries do you need to have your character endure?

Most common are fractured wrists and ankles. The body instinctively braces for impact and these are the two points of common breakage. Airbags are notorious for snapping wrists, as well as scrapes/burns on the arms.

Bruising is guaranteed. Face, chest, anywhere that makes hard contact. Airbags will prevent serious injuries up to a point, but at higher speeds the chest will be impacted by the steering column, crushing it and severely injuring the heart.

The body also tends to elongate during a higher speed impact. The head will contact the windshield, often snapping the neck back and causing severe neck injuries, including paralysis and death.

Most "head-on" impacts are not direct and any off-center impact will result in turning and twisting of the cars and those inside. Spinal damage is common, even with lower impact speeds. The opposing driver's reaction will almost guarantee it's not a direct collision.

Mass of vehicles involved will greatly change the dynamics. A Smart Car hitting a tractor trailer will be flattened, a Hummer hitting a golf cart might not even notice.

Condition of the driver will change the effects of injuries. Heavy intoxication will restrict the bracing reaction, allowing the limbs to bend, reducing the chance of broken bones.

So, what do you need? Or, what does your friend, who seems to be researching suicide, need? Or, do you need the number for the suicide hotline yourself?

Jeff

I was in a fender bender as a teenager in the passenger seat, I got a broken nose because I was not wearing my seatbelt and smashed into the airbag.

I think a car crash is too unpredictable to use as a suicide method. The other vehicle would need to be going fast as well and while you could die, you also stand a big chance of just being in the ICU. I've run into some bad accidents where there was minor damage to those involved, even with the car flipping over. Like someone else mentioned, your character also loses sympathy. I'd recommend a different way. And remember that suicide is a very strong subject. So if the character is going to do it, don't make it something small or trivial that risks trivializing the problem of suicide.

I was in a 3/4 head-on collision at 60 mph in 1974. I was in a 1963 Buick - the other car was a 1965ish Ford station wagon. My passenger and I were both wearing seat belts, but this was before airbags.

The other driver (whose fault it was and who was drunk/stoned) went through his windshield (which shattered on impact) and slid onto the pavement -- he had some scrapes and bruises, but walked away. He was not wearing a seat belt.

I hit my head on the car frame of the front window and suffered a skull fracture. The medics broke a couple of my ribs getting me out of the car. I had a pretty bad cut on my left forearm and lots of glass in my eyes and embedded in my scalp. I was in a coma for 3 weeks. When I came out of the coma, I could not see, walk or talk. Gradually, I learned to say a few words. Then after a few weeks, I could move my legs and learned how to walk again. My vision returned after a couple of months.

My passenger was not injured in any way -- not even a bruise from the seatbelt.

Hope this helps.

Brain injury.

Karen Junker said:

I

The other driver (whose fault it was and who was drunk/stoned) went through his windshield (which shattered on impact) and slid onto the pavement -- he had some scrapes and bruises, but walked away. He was not wearing a seat belt.

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From what I've heard drunks are famous/notorious for surviving such things, as they are relaxed. It is apparently far less damaging if you just land in a big flop and are not tense and trying to save yourself.

That's dreadful. I hope the drunk got severely punished.

Karen Junker said:

I was in a 3/4 head-on collision at 60 mph in 1974. I was in a 1963 Buick - the other car was a 1965ish Ford station wagon. My passenger and I were both wearing seat belts, but this was before airbags.

The other driver (whose fault it was and who was drunk/stoned) went through his windshield (which shattered on impact) and slid onto the pavement -- he had some scrapes and bruises, but walked away. He was not wearing a seat belt.

I hit my head on the car frame of the front window and suffered a skull fracture. The medics broke a couple of my ribs getting me out of the car. I had a pretty bad cut on my left forearm and lots of glass in my eyes and embedded in my scalp. I was in a coma for 3 weeks. When I came out of the coma, I could not see, walk or talk. Gradually, I learned to say a few words. Then after a few weeks, I could move my legs and learned how to walk again. My vision returned after a couple of months.

My passenger was not injured in any way -- not even a bruise from the seatbelt.

Hope this helps.

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Hi, Bufty -- This was before we had many penalties for drunk driving -- I'm not sure he even went to jail. My insurance company sued him, but he didn't have insurance and didn't have any money. He did come to the hospital to tell me he was sorry --

My uncle died in a car accident not long after his high school graduation. The accident wasn't exactly head-on, but he died of massive internal injuries. This was before airbags and basically the steering wheel crushed his chest. It was raining, and both cars were going relatively slow, 25-30 mph. Funny thing-- the five people in the other car were completely fine.

At the large trauma-center teaching hospital and site of my day job, most collision type patients turn out to have head, face, and upper body injuries. I've seen cases of leg and pelvic fractures but the upper body seems to take the brunt of a head-on impact.

For specifics as to what type of injuries are caused by various trauma situations, recommend the superb book "Body Trauma," written specifically for us by a writer who's a trauma MD (David W. Page, Writers Digest Books, 1996. ISBN# 0-89789-741-1). I've used this well-written resource dozens of times.

In the way of personal anecdote, I broke my nose against the steering wheel in a low-speed front-end crash. I was seat belted, but I'm so short, the seat was pushed up far in my beloved Volkswagen. No room/time to protect my personal schnozzola.

I was working with cancer patients in radiation therapy at the time, and they all had a good laugh at my double-shiners. "Hey, Deb! You look worse than us!"

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine (Prov. 17:22).

A couple of years ago I had a head on with a telegraph pole, Car was a total wreck - I was driving dad's car, a rover 74 estate - those cars are massive, heavy and have a very long bonnet, which was the only reason I wasn't killed - if I'd been driving my car both myself and my daughter would have died, the car would have just wrapped around the pole.

In terms of injuries, we were pretty lucky, just some bruising from where the seatbelt was, and we were both pretty sore for a week or so, but I was aware it could it could have been so so so much worse. I've seen friends have much worse injuries from milder collisions. I was basically saved by the car itself. The airbag malfunctioned and the driver one didn't deploy, and from what I've heard I'm kinda glad it didn't in that particular accident.

Deb Kinnard said:

At the large trauma-center teaching hospital and site of my day job, most collision type patients turn out to have head, face, and upper body injuries. I've seen cases of leg and pelvic fractures but the upper body seems to take the brunt of a head-on impact.

For specifics as to what type of injuries are caused by various trauma situations, recommend the superb book "Body Trauma," written specifically for us by a writer who's a trauma MD (David W. Page, Writers Digest Books, 1996. ISBN# 0-89789-741-1). I've used this well-written resource dozens of times.

In the way of personal anecdote, I broke my nose against the steering wheel in a low-speed front-end crash. I was seat belted, but I'm so short, the seat was pushed up far in my beloved Volkswagen. No room/time to protect my personal schnozzola.

I was working with cancer patients in radiation therapy at the time, and they all had a good laugh at my double-shiners. "Hey, Deb! You look worse than us!"

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine (Prov. 17:22).

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This reminds me of my grandmother's accident back in the early 80s. Someone fell asleep, crossed the median, and hit her head-on. In her case, she miraculously did NOT have a head injury, but her right foot became mangled up in the car. She refused to let them amputate it, and the foot was crippled for the rest of her life. Her leg was a couple inches shorter, and she was never again able to walk without a cane/walker or some other form of assistance.