ABSTRACT
History A 33-year-old man was a passenger of car involved in a head-on collision travelling at 60 mph (97 km/h). He is brought into the accident and emergency department as a trauma call. He was sitting in the rear of the car in the central passenger seat restrained by an old-style ‘lap belt’, unlike the other passengers who were wearing standard shoulder and lap belts. He was thrown forward into the seat in front. He was conscious throughout but is complaining of severe pain in the lower thoracic and lumbar spine.
