Who:

Reagan Lee Hartley, 22, from Willow Spring, was killed around 10:30 PM on 4/23/14 between Patterson St. and Wendover Avenue on I-40 in Greensboro, NC. Hartley drove a 1997-era silver Volvo C70 and was hit by Ronnie Fichera, 46, from South Boston, VA, who drove a 1997-era green Ford Expedition. Hartley was a senior at Western Carolina University, where she was studying early elementary education, and was due to graduate in May after completing her student teaching.

How:

Hartley was eastbound on I-40 heading to her parents.’ She was impacted by Fichera, who was headed westbound in the eastbound lanes at an estimated 80-90 mph in an effort to evade police. He was reportedly impaired and carrying an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. Hartley died en route to the hospital, while Fichera was listed in critical condition.

Why:

This is another tragic case involving drunk driving, which is implicated in 1 of every 3 fatal traffic incidents in the US. Fichera, per reports, first began acting strangely around 10:05 at a Subway, where he displayed aggressive and erratic behavior. He left, was approached by officers, and drove off when asked to leave his vehicle. A pursuit occurred but was called off when Fichera entered I-40 in the wrong lane of traffic. Shortly after, the collision occurred.

Investigating the physics of the crash, it is not surprising that Hartley died while Fichera lived, as her vehicle was massively outweighed by his. The 1997-era C70 weighs ~3200 lbs and we’ll assume it came with a “good” frontal score, being a Volvo. It was impacted by a 1997-era Expedition that weighs ~4826 lbs, or 51% of the C70’s weight.  As a result, the C70 driver automatically faced 151% more force in the collision than she would have if she’d collided with another C70, placing her at a severe disadvantage in the collision. Fichera, meanwhile, experienced 33% lower forces due to his weight advantage.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (~85 mph), the collision likely imparted at least 1.58MJ of energy into the C70. The C70 frontal impact test, had one existed, would have simulated 232KJ of energy (a C70 impacting another at 40 mph). In other words, the C70 driver faced 681% of the force she’d have experienced in the type of crash her car would have been rated for. Given the speed of the collision, her odds of survival were, sadly, virtually non-existent.

The Expedition’s frontal test, had one existed, would simulate 350KJ of energy (an Expedition impacting another at 40 mph), indicating that its driver would have faced 300% of the forces his SUV was rated to safely withstand, given that the C70 imparted 1.05MJ of energy into the Expedition. While these were still tremendous forces, his odds of survival were still much better than those of the C70’s driver, and this was reflected in his survival in critical condition.

This was ultimately a wholly preventable tragedy, as are so many of these stories.

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Who:

Karen Lee Greenstein, 58, from Ashland, worked at Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon as an Emergency Dispatcher, and was driving home from work, and was killed on 3/27/14 at around 3:15 5 miles south of Medford on I-5 southbound. She drove a 2006 Honda Civic and was killed by Richard Webster Scott, 32, who drove a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan. He was seriously injured.

How:

Per reports, Greenstein was driving southbound while Scott crossed the center line and started driving north in the southbound lane. Greenstein, who was wearing her seat belt, was ejected from her vehicle; she died at the scene, while Scott, who was seriously injured, was transported to the hospital. Per police reports, he was drunk.

Why:

This is another sad case of alcohol use leading to a fatality, as are 1 of every 3 traffic deaths in this country, year after year. Such crashes are more likely at night, as was this one, since drunk drivers drive more at night than they do during the day.

Investigating the physics of the crash, it is not surprising that Greenstein died while Scott lived, as her vehicle was massively outweighed by his. The 2006 Civic weighs 2751 lbs and comes with a “good” IIHS frontal score. It was impacted by a 2003 Grand Caravan that weighs 4224 lbs, or 154% of the Civic’s weight.  As a result, the Civic driver automatically faced 54% more force in the collision than she would have if she’d collided with another Civic, placing her at a severe disadvantage in the collision. Scott, meanwhile, experienced 35% lower forces due to his weight advantage.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (~65 mph), the collision likely imparted at least 809KJ of energy into the Civic. The Civic frontal impact test simulates 199KJ of energy (a Civic impacting another at 40 mph). In other words, the Civic driver faced 407% of the force she’d have experienced in the type of crash her car was rated for. Given the speed of the collision, her odds of survival were, sadly, virtually non-existent, especially given her ejection.

Interestingly, the Dodge’s frontal test simulated 306KJ of energy (a Dodge impacting another at 40 mph), indicating that its driver would have faced 172% of the forces his minivan was rated to safely withstand, given that the Civic imparted 527KJ of energy into the Dodge. While these were still tremendous forces, his odds of survival were still much better than those of the Civic’s driver.

This was ultimately a wholly preventable tragedy.

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Who:
Laura Anne LaPlante, 26, from New Hampshire, was killed in Chicago, IL on Friday, 5/1/14, at around 1:50 AM on Lake Shore Drive by Randolph St. She was in a 2013 Toyota Prius taxi and was hit by a wrong way drunk driver, Erik Johnson, 23, in a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek. She died at the hospital at 6:30 PM while a 24-year-old passenger, a fellow law student, was transported to the hospital in critical condition. The driver of the Subaru and of the taxi, a 38-year-old man, were also hospitalized. LaPlante was a 3rd year law student at the University of Chicago Law School and would have graduated this June 14th. She planned to work at a Boston law firm in the fall upon graduation.

How:
Per reports, the taxi was in the northbound lane and collided with a Crosstrek that was southbound in the northbound lanes. Police have stated alcohol factored in the crash and charges are pending. Witnesses reported that one of the passengers in the taxi went through the front windshield of the vehicle and needed to be extricated, and the other passenger was partially ejected. Neither wore seat belts. Johnson confessed to having had several beers and hard liquor when questioned at the scene, and presented a BAC of .195 when tested at the hospital. The 24-year old suffered broken ribs and a broken sternum, head trauma, and a collapsed lung. The taxi driver fractured his elbow.

Why:
This is another tragic case of alcohol-induced wrong way driving that resulted in a fatal head on collision. LaPlante had her life ahead of her, as have so many victims of drunk drivers, and died because an individual chose to drive while inebriated.

The 2013-era Prius weighs around 3064 pounds and has a “good” frontal score. It was impacted in what looks like a moderate overlap collision by a 2014 Crosstrek, which is a twin of the Impreza that weighs ~3142 lbs, or 106% of the weight of the Prius, and has a “good” frontal score. The weights were close enough that the advantage of the Crosstrek was not significant in this collision.

The speed limit on LSD is typically 40 mph, but drivers routinely travel at 50 mph or more on the roadway. Assuming a 55 mph speed in each vehicle, the collision likely imparted at least 431KJ of energy into the Prius. The Prius’ frontal impact test simulates 222KJ of energy (a Prius impacting another at 40 mph). In other words, the Prius occupants faced 194% of the force they’d have experienced in the type of crash the car was rated for.

Given the speed of the collision, the risk of injury was high, but the collision should have been survivable, which was evidenced by the survival of not only the driver but one of the two passengers. However, I would wager that LaPlante was the passenger who was ejected through the windshield, which would have significantly increased her risk of severe injury. She was not wearing her seat belt, and the risk of ejection is several times higher in unbelted occupants than in belted ones. I suspect she sat in the front and received severe head and chest trauma due to her being unrestrained and in close proximity to the crash. I believe she would likely have survived this collision had she been wearing her seat belt.

The survival of the Crosstrek driver was to be expected based on the forces referenced above, as well as from an analysis of the far greater degree of structural integrity visible in the image of the Crosstrek post-collision compared to the Prius. In other words, the Crosstrek performed significantly better in the collision, which may also have been due to the “good” score the Crosstrek received in the small overlap test. The Prius at this time did not have a small overlap score, but would likely have received a poor one, as the current generation Prius, which was strengthened for the small overlap test, has an “acceptable” score.

This was ultimately a wholly preventable tragedy, and again points to the need to reform our laws and cultural attitudes toward the consumption of alcohol in relation to driving. At the same time, greater attention needs to be paid by all individuals to the need to be properly restrained, every time, on every ride, in every vehicle.

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Who:
Robert Anthony Zevenbergen, 20, and Johnnie Royce Jackson, 45, died on 3/20/14 at around 1:10 AM in De Soto, KS on the eastbound lane of Kansas Highway 10, just east past Kill Creek Road. Zevenbergen drove a 2013 Toyota Avalon, while Jackson drove a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado.

How:
Per Kansas Highway Patrol reports, Jackson was originally westbound in K-10, but crossed the center grassy median and then begun heading westbound in the eastbound lanes. He then crashed nearly head-on into Zevenbergen’s Avalon. Jackson did not wear a seat belt and was ejected from his vehicle, while Zevenbergen wore his belt and required extrication. Both died at the scene. Per Trooper Howard Dickinson, the crash was unsurvivable due to the forces present at the impact speed of 70 mph. The crash was referred to in a number of media sources as a “crossover” crash due to the lane crossing of Jackson’s vehicle.

Why:
This is another tragic collision that could have been prevented had one of the drivers maintained his lane. It is not known why Jackson crossed the median, which is designed specifically to prevent such kinds of collisions. However, police stated such crashes tend to be caused by drinking or sleeping drivers, which seems accurate given the time in which the collision occurred (1 AM). Furthermore, later reports revealed Jackson had a license that had been suspended since 1990 and a long history of driving under the influence, so I’d wager this was just another one of those instances. Here is the analysis:

The 2013 Avalon is one of the safest cars one can buy. It weighs ~3490 lbs and had a “good” frontal score per the IIHS, which is the primary score relevant here. It was impacted by a 2007 Silverado, a large pickup with a “good” frontal score that weighs ~5179 lbs, or 148% of the weight of the Avalon. As a result, the Avalon driver automatically faced 48% more force in the collision than he would have if he’d collided with another Avalon, placing him at a severe disadvantage in the collision. This is also 148% of the weight of the simulated vehicle (another Avalon) in the IIHS frontal impact test.

Jackson should have been at an advantage, as his vehicle would have experienced 33% lower forces due to his weight advantage. However, he did not wear his seat belt, and was ejected from his vehicle, effectively guaranteeing his death.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (~70 mph), the collision likely imparted at least 1.15MJ of energy into the Avalon. The Avalon’s frontal impact test simulates 253KJ of energy (an Avalon impacting another Avalon at 40 mph). In other words, the Avalon driver faced 454% of the force he’d have experienced in the type of crash his car was rated for. Given the speed of the collision, his odds of survival were, sadly, virtually non-existent.

Interestingly, the Silverado’s frontal test simulated 376KJ of energy (a Silverado impacting another at 40 mph), indicating that its driver would have faced 204% of the forces his truck was rated to safely withstand, given that the Avalon imparted 766KJ of energy into the Silverado. While these were still tremendous forces, his odds of survival were still much better than those of the Avalon’s driver…or would have been, had he been belted. This is one of the few examples I’ve found so far of a multi-vehicle collision where fatalities occurred in the higher weight vehicle.

This was ultimately a wholly preventable tragedy.

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