You’ve probably read or heard about multiple instances in which a drunk or otherwise impaired driver caused a crash that resulted in serious or fatal injuries to those in the other vehicle while they walked away largely unharmed – or at least with far less serious injuries. This can seem to add insult to injury – especially for the victims of these drivers.
While it doesn’t occur in every case, there are actually physiological reasons why it often does happen. There’s also some physics involved. Let’s briefly explore this.
Understanding deceleration injuries
If an unimpaired driver sees that they’re about to have a collision, their body naturally braces for it.
That means when their vehicle comes to a stop (often suddenly) after impact, their body also quickly “decelerates.” Because their muscles and other parts of their body have tensed up, they can’t absorb the energy of the crash as well as if they were more relaxed. That can result in “deceleration injuries.”
A deceleration injury is defined as “an impact injury to a body within or upon a rapidly moving object caused by the forces exerted when the object is brought to a sudden halt.” Brain injuries, whiplash and spinal injuries are just a few examples of these injuries.
Meanwhile, drivers (and passengers) who are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs that have a depressant or relaxing effect, like marijuana or even prescription anxiety medications, won’t typically tense up as much prior to an impending crash – if they’re even aware of it. Therefore, they’re less likely to suffer deceleration injuries and potentially more likely to survive a serious crash than those who aren’t impaired. Certainly, an impaired driver can still suffer other catastrophic injuries – particularly if they aren’t wearing a seatbelt.
If you’ve been injured or a loved one has been killed by a drunk or drugged driver, that driver is likely facing serious criminal charges. You also can and should seek the compensation you deserve for medical bills and other economic as well as non-economic damages. It’s wise to get legal guidance as soon as possible so that you can focus on healing and moving forward.
