Who:

Travis Trapp, 16, from Cascade, WI, and Brent Schultz, 16, from Kewaskum, WI, were killed at around 8:39 AM in Kewaskum, WI in Washington County on Cty Highway H on Wednesday, 6/18/14. They were Kewaskum High School students. They drove a 2004 tan Ford Taurus and were impacted after they crossed the center line and ran into a Washington County Sheriff’s deputy driving a police edition 2010-era Chevrolet Impala.
How:

Per police reports, wet roads might have factored into the collision, as there were several storms in the morning of the crash, and the fire chief, Mark Groeschel, stated that there had been standing water even when they had responded to the collision. The students died at the scene, while the deputy had minor injuries and was treated and released at a hospital. The State Patrol indicated that the westbound students lost control, crossed the yellow line, and collided with the deputy. The Fire Department stated that the students had been wearing their seat belts.

Why:

This is a sad collision that likely resulted from weather conditions, although it is possible that speed may also have played a role. It’s also possible that the presence of ESC might have prevented the collision, had it been present in the Taurus. Whatever the cause, as this is a car safety blog, let’s look at the forces that led to these unfortunate losses of life.

The 2004-era Taurus weighs ~3333 lbs and does not have a side impact score. Head and torso side airbags in the front seats were available as an option but were not standard features, and it does not appear that these were present in this Taurus. We can assume that it would have received a “poor” side impact score, had it been tested, as most mid-priced sedans of its time did. The 2010-era Impala weighs ~3585 lbs and comes with a “good” frontal score; the police edition would likely have weighed slightly more.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (I’ll estimate ~55 mph), the collision likely imparted at least 492KJ of energy into the Taurus / Impala. The standard side impact test simulates 143KJ of energy (a 3300-lb sled impacting a vehicle at 31 mph). In other words, the Taurus faced 344% of the force it would have experienced in the types of crashes cars are side rated for, and this was on top of the fact that it would likely have failed the side impact test to begin with. Given these forces and the high degree of vehicle intrusion, it is sadly understandable that the victims succumbed to their injuries, even with the use of seat belts.

The survival of the deputy was to be expected, in contrast, as he experienced a frontal impact that featured survivable forces. The Impala would have been expected to perform safely in a 260KJ collision, which means that the deputy experienced 189% of tested forces. His survival was almost guaranteed as a result.

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