Who:

Troy H. Stapelton, from Ann Court in Fairfield, OH, died on Thursday at around 8:35 AM, 5/29/14, when his 2011-era Toyota Prius was hit in a side impact at Ohio 747 and Port Union Road in West Chester Township, Ohio. He was hit by a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche driven by Terrance R. Strader, 32.

How:

Strader rear-ended a southbound blue Honda Civic driven by Christy Martin, 53, at Mackenzie Court and Ohio 747. She was only mildly injured. Strader then fled the scene, ran a red light at Port Union and Ohio 747, and impacted the Prius in the driver’s side as the Prius tried to turn left from Port Union Rd to Ohio 747. Stapelton died at the scene, while Strader required extrication and was hospitalized. Neither wore a seat belt. Stapelton drove a work vehicle, Universal Transportation Systems. Police stated that, based on vehicle damage, speed was believed to be a factor. Lt. Barry Walker from the West Chester Police Dept. stated “This was a very high-speed collision.” Strader, per news reports, had previously been involved in a major crash two years ago.

Why:

This is another sad case resulting from speeding, which is implicated in 1 out of every 3 auto deaths in the US. It is also a fatality that resulted from a failure to yield at a red light, and a fatality that resulted from someone who committed a hit and run, all in the span of a few minutes. Sadly, it’s also a crash that became more severe because the victim did not wear a seat belt.

The 2011-era Prius weighs ~3064 lbs and has a “good” side score. It comes with head and torso side airbags in the front seats. Its structural subscore was “acceptable.” The 2007 Avalanche, which is based on the Silverado, weighs ~5990 lbs.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (I’ll estimate ~55 mph, or 10 mph above
the 45 mph PSL), the collision likely imparted at least 821KJ of energy into the Prius / Avalanche. The standard side impact test simulates 143KJ of energy (a 3300-lb sled impacting a vehicle at 31 mph). In other words, the Prius faced 574% of the force it would have experienced in the types of crashes cars are side rated for. It is sadly understandable that the victim succumbed to these forces, especially when he was not safely restrained.

I can’t say wearing his seat belt would have saved Stapelton’s life, but it certainly would have improved his chances significantly. Side airbags are supplementary restraint systems; they are designed to help increase ride down time for individuals who are already restrained with seat belts.

What is absolutely certain is that the collision that led to the fatality occurred because an individual repeatedly chose to break the law while behind the wheels of a 3 ton missile.

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Who:

Silvia Flores, 49, and her daughter, Jennifer, 23, were killed at around 5:40 PM on Monday, 5/19/14, at the intersection of Texas Ave. and Rose Blvd. They died in a 2013 Toyota Camry, and were impacted by a 2008 Nissan 350Z driven by Fizal Rahaman, 19, who had Franck Mission, 20, as a passenger.

How:

The Camry was eastbound on Rose while the 350Z was southbound on Texas Ave. The Camry stopped at the stop sign before entering the intersection. Rahaman didn’t have a stop sign. The 350Z struck the Camry on its driver side. Both Flores’ died at the scene. Rahaman and Mission had minor injuries, and Rahaman supplied a voluntary blood sample. Troopers felt alcohol was not a factor in the crash. Witnesses stated the 350Z was apparently speeding (beyond the 35 mph limit).

Why:

This is another sad case resulting from speeding, which is implicated in 1 out of every 3 auto deaths in the US. While it does appear that the 350Z had the right of way, it is highly likely that the collision would not have occurred had the 350Z not been speeding.

The 2013 Camry weighs ~3258 lbs and has a “good” side score. It comes with head and torso side airbags in the front seats. Its structural subscore was “good” as well. In other words, relative to technology available today, this should have been a solid vehicle for a side impact. The 2008 350Z is closely related to the Infiniti G35. It weighs ~3344 lbs and would likely have a “good” frontal score if tested, based on its relation to the G35.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (I’ll estimate ~55 mph, or significantly above the 35 mph PSL), the collision likely imparted at least 458KJ of energy into the Camry / 350Z. The standard side impact test simulates 143KJ of energy (a 3300-lb sled impacting a vehicle at 31 mph). In other words, the Camry faced 320% of the force it would have experienced in the types of crashes cars are side rated for. It is sadly understandable that the victims succumbed to these forces.

Meanwhile, the 350Z was designed to perform well in a frontal impact test simulating 243KJ of energy (i.e., a 350Z impacting its twin at 40 mph). The 350Z’s occupants faced 188% of these forces. Their survival was practically a given, despite the significantly higher forces, and is a testament to the “good” frontal score, the presence of front airbags, and the occupants’ use of seat belts.

This is a sad and entirely preventable pair of deaths. Despite the fact that the victims were traveling in a safe, well-rated vehicle, the protective factors could not overcome the extremely high risk factors of speed, as well as a teenage driver behind the wheel of a high risk vehicle (the 350Z had the highest death rate of any vehicle at 148 in the most recent status report, and this collision indicates why–the people who drive it are highly likely to disregard speed limits).

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Who:

Timothy Lee, 27, from Baton Rouge, was killed on 3/2/14 around 5:30 PM at the intersection of Thomas Rd and Scenic Highway in Baton Rouge, LA, in a 2003 Toyota Corolla, by a driver of a white 2013 Jeep Wrangler 4-door.

How:

Lee was at the Thomas / Scenic intersection stopped. He pulled west into the intersection trying to cross the highway and was impacted in the driver’s side by the northbound Wrangler. He died at the scene. Per police reports, neither speed nor alcohol factored in the crash. The Jeep driver had a passenger; neither were injured. All occupants were wearing seat belts.

Why:

It’s unclear why Lee pulled into the intersection; it’s possible he was distracted or likely that he simply didn’t see the Wrangler. Perhaps he thought he had time to pull out. Whatever the reason, here are the physics:

Given these dynamics, the 2003 Corolla weighs ~2584 lbs and is classified as a small car. It has a “poor” side score, since it did not come with side airbags standard. Had it, it would have had an “acceptable” rating, as evidenced by the Corollas of that era that came with optional side airbags. The 2013 Wrangler 4-door weighs ~4370 lbs as a midsize SUV. It had a “good” frontal crash score.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (~50 mph, which was the PSL), the collision likely imparted at least 495KJ of energy into the Corolla / Wrangler. The standard side impact test simulates 143KJ of energy (a 3300-lb sled impacting a vehicle at 31 mph). In other words, the Corolla occupant faced 346% of the force he’d have experienced in the types of crashes cars are side rated for. On top of this, his car already failed the side test due to imparting a life-ending amount of energy to the head of the crash test dummy.

Meanwhile, the Wrangler was designed to perform well in a frontal impact test simulating 284KJ of energy (i.e., a Wrangler impacting its twin at 40 mph). The Wrangler’s occupants faced 174% of these forces. Their survival was expected, despite the significantly higher forces, and is a testament to the “good” frontal score, the presence of front airbags, and the occupants’ use of seat belts.

I cannot recommend the Corolla, or any other vehicle that does not come standard with head/torso side airbags. The stakes are just too high.

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Who:
Maria Ledesma, 67, and her daughter, Christina Ledesma, 29, were killed on 3/21/14 at 7:30 AM at the intersections of Jensen and Goldenrod Avenues near Kerman, CA. Both women sat in the front, while three children under age 5 sat in the back. Two received mild to moderate injuries, while a third suffered severe head trauma from the car’s roof collapse in the rollover. Erick Diaz, 34, impacted them in a 2003 Dodge Dakota. Christina was a mother to one of the three children and babysitting the remaining two. Diaz received minor injuries.

How:
The Tercel was eastbound on Jenson. The Dakota ran the Goldenrod stop sign while southbound at 55 mph. It impacted the Tercel on the driver’s side and both vehicles rolled. The two women died at the scene, while the children were injured. Diaz stated he did not notice the stop sign.

When:
This appears to be another sad case of fatalities resulting from an individual running a stop sign. What makes this case particularly tragic is that the law-abiding citizens were killed due to the negligence of the law-breaking driver.

The 1995 Tercel weighs ~2000 lbs and did not come with a side impact score or side airbags. It would have received a “poor” side rating due to the lack of airbags and high degree of cabin intrusion. It was impacted by a 2003 Dakota, which weighed ~3589 lbs. That’s 109% of the weight of the simulated vehicle in the IIHS side impact test.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (~55 mph), the collision likely imparted at least 492KJ of energy into the Tercel. The standard side impact test simulates 143KJ of energy (a 3300-lb sled impacting a vehicle at 31 mph). In other words, the Tercel’s occupants faced 344% of the force they’d have experienced in the types of crashes cars are side rated for. Given the speed of the collision and the lack of airbags and structural integrity of the Tercel, their odds of survival were, sadly, virtually non-existent.

It is highly noteworthy that all three children survived the collision, albeit with various degrees of injury. It is almost certain that all three children were belted, and a car seat was recovered from the scene of the collision, suggesting at least one child was very securely restrained. Given their survival, it is likely that all three children were restrained in well-fitting car seats that met all relevant safety requirements. What we have here is another sad example of the orphan seat phenomenon, wherein the children survived due to their proper restraints while the adults in the vehicle did not.

This collision was completely preventable. Diaz will likely face vehicular manslaughter charges.

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