Collision Size-Up

SUBJECT: Collision Size-Up
TOPIC: Developing a Rescue Action Plan for Hard-impact Side Collisions
OBJECTIVE: Given a vehicle with collision damage to one side and the simulation of a person trapped, the rescuer will develop an action plan for opening and removing that side of the vehicle, including the front door, rear door, B-pillar, and/or sidewall panel.
TASK: The rescue officer shall size-up and develop a plan of action that identifies the challenges presented by a side-impact collision, and create a “Plan A†and a “Plan B†action plan that will result in door, B-pillar, and sidewall structure removal.

As a responder to vehicle collisions, we know that although each crash is different, they are similar in many ways. The experience gained from working at vehicle incidents allows the alert officer to learn from that situation and use it as a baseline the next time those circumstances are encountered.

Such is the case with hard-impact side collisions. Although each “T-bone†is different, as one looks at them from a rescuer’s point of view, there is usually an overall strategy that can be applied to successfully solve the entrapment problems found.

This month, three typical side-impact-crash case studies are discussed with guidance on developing a rescue action plan for each. The rescue officer at a side-impact incident must develop an overall extrication strategy that includes the following considerations:

Assessment of the degree of side intrusion into the occupant area
Condition of front door at latch and hinge end
Condition of the B-pillar
Condition of rear door at latch and hinge end
Condition of rear sidewall (two-door vehicle)

Photo 1: A “typical†side-impact collision involving a Mazda 626 two-door coupe is shown. The rescue officer must stand at this rear fender location to determine the degree of intrusion. It sets the stage for assessing the occupant’s mechanism of injury and the degree of entrapment problems that can be anticipated. From this key position, you can see where the rocker channel is now and realize where it used to be. The difference is the all-important intrusion distance.

In this particular case, note that the rear and front wheels still seem to be aligned. That’s bad news for the passengers, especially anyone sitting in the front seat. Having the axles relatively intact means that the brunt of the collision force is focused on the doors and B-pillar and not the axle areas. Photo 2: Your rescue action plan must consider door opening, then door removal, and in this case, rear sidewall-panel removal. Because the interior floormat or carpeting is visible at the bottom of the door, anticipate problems. The bottom of the door is crushed inward so much so that it is now on the inside of the rocker channel. There is also a serious overlap between the end of the door and the B-pillar. A spreader attack at the latch end of the door will not be easy. As the right arm of the spreader pushes against the door, the left arm will press against the damaged rear sidewall. It is probable that the sidewall will fail inward before the door latch releases. At least, you may be able to expose the latch enough to allow for cutting. Photo 3: One of the most common occurrences rescuers will encounter at hard-impact side collisions is stretching of the door. The location of the collision beam inside the door is evident as a horizontal ridge in the door skin. As door stretching occurs, the front door hinges will be exposed. If the sheet metal around the hinges has torn, the action plan should include door removal by cutting the hinges. That may allow the door to be opened rearward, providing access to the occupant seated inside. Once opened rearward, the action plan could include prying or cutting the door off at the latch. That leaves the sidewall in the rear seat area as the remaining challenge. Plan on cutting the B-pillar at the roofline and at the rocker channel. Then rescuers should be able to move or remove this sidewall to provide maximum access to both rear- and front-seat occupants. Photo 4: Here’s a challenge: the “skinned†door. Side impact to this Ford Escape caused the rear door skin to tear almost completely off. This condition takes away the little bit of strength that the door had to start with. Work smarter, not harder with a door in this condition. Photo 5: Once again, the rescue officer must come to this position to determine degree of intrusion. From this perspective, the tearing of the door skin and the door overlap onto the C-pillar is evident. A power spreader could be used to open this door at the latch if the tool operator starts high and begins by bending the door frame down and out, exposing the latch. With the latch exposed, either a spreader or cutter could be brought in to finish opening the door. From this vantage point, the rescue size-up also reveals that the B-pillar does not have significant intrusion. Opening the jammed front door should not be a problem. Photo 6: With the flap of door skin removed, the remaining structure of the rear door is now exposed. The rear edge of the door is weakened at the latch area but a good tool operator with a spreader can open it. This particular door collision beam will offer no strength or support. Consider cutting the hinges since you can see them already. Photo 7: A side impact into a pole did a job on this Saturn coupe. Because the hit was at the center of the door, the intrusion is significant. Notice that the axles are just about where you would expect them to be; meaning that the door took all the hit. One complication with this car will be the plastic door and body panels. An alert rescue officer should also see that the “stretching†of the door exposed the hinges. The rear latch is readily accessible due to the collision damage so that also gives you a place to attack at the latch if necessary. Photo 8: The plastic panels will offer no help when opening this door. Cutting the hinges will be easy. Attacking the door at the latch will require a sharp tool operator to get the tips of the spreader inside the door to work with the inner door metal, prying it outward. Photo 9: Once the rescue officer looks through the front windshield and sees the extensive degree of intrusion shown here, it becomes obvious that the door must not move inward as it is taken off the car. Truth is, for a front passenger, this would be a non-survivable crash. With less severe impact, always think about extrication out the non-damaged side or total roof removal to allow for rapid extrication up and out.

Ron Moore, a Firehouse® contributing editor, is a battalion chief and the training officer for the McKinney, TX, Fire Department. He also authors a monthly online article in the Firehouse.com “MembersZone†and serves as the Forum Moderator for the extrication section of the Firehouse.com website. Moore can be contacted directly at [email protected].