Motor Vehicle Crash Injury Research

At UAB, I was the Associate Director of the Mercedes-Benz Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) center from 1999 through 2004, which resided within the UAB Department of Surgery. The research essentially involved studying specific car crashes to determine mechanisms of injury. The project brings together engineers, epidemiologists, trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeon, emergency medical practitioners, etc., to study the crashes and injuries with the goal of providing information that will ultimately help make automobiles safer. Also, I have been involved in several other collaborative projects related to transportation safety supported by NHTSA through the Center for Injury Sciences.

STUDENTS: Anna Simpson (MSCE August 2001), Fidelis Badaki (MSME August 2001), Jason Keeley (MSBME August 2003), Nancy Fouad (undergraduate research), Adriana Dunn (undergraduate research)

JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

Li Z, Alonso JE, Kim JE, Davidson JS, Etheridge BS, Eberhardt AW, “Biomechanical Response of the Pubic Symphysis in Lateral Pelvic Impacts: A Finite Element Study,” Journal of Biomechanics, Elsevier, 40 (2007) 2758–2766.

Eberhardt AW, Li Z, Alonso JE, Kim JE, Davidson JS, Etheridge BS, “Three-Dimensional Finite Element Models of the Human Pubic Symphysis with Viscohyperelastic Soft Tissues,” Annals of Biomedical Engineering, Vol. 34, No. 9, September 2006, pp. 1452–1462.

Moran SG, Key JS, McGwin G, Keeley JW, Davidson JS, Rue LW, “The applicability of a computer model to predict head injury incurred during actual motor vehicle collisions,” J Trauma. 2004 Jul; 57(1):99-103.

Melton SM, McGwin G, Cross JM, Davidson J, Waller H, Doss MW, Vickers S, Rue LW, “Common bile duct transection in blunt abdominal trauma: case report emphasizing mechanism of injury and therapeutic management,” J Trauma, 2003 Apr; 54(4); 781-785.

PRESENTATIONS

Keeley JW, Kim JE, Davidson JS, Moore WA, Eberhardt AE, “A Madymo Study of Pelvic and Lower Extremity Injury during Frontal Crashes,” Proceedings of the 2003 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, Washington, D.C., November 16-21, 2003 IMECE2003-44585.

“Injury and Collision Characteristics that Together are Suggestive of Diaphragmatic Rupture,” Loring W. Rue III, Gerald McGwin, Stephan Moran, James Davidson, Presented at the quarterly CIREN conference, December 5, 2002.

“Incidence and Characteristics of Motor Vehicle Collision-Related Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injury According to Age,” Loring W. Rue III, Gerald McGwin, Stephan Moran, James Davidson, Presented at the quarterly CIREN conference, December 6, 2001.

“Clinical, Biomechanic, and Epidemiologic Perspectives on Side Impact Crashes,” Loring W. Rue III, Alan Eberhardt, Gerald McGwin, James Davidson, Holly Waller, Marilyn Doss and Todd Sheils, Presented at the quarterly CIREN conference, July 21, 2000.

“A Case Study of Lower Extremity Fractures,” Loring W. Rue III, Gerald McGwin, James Davidson, Holly Waller, Marilyn Doss and Alex Jones. Presented at the quarterly CIREN conference, May 5, 2000.

Davidson, J.S., "The University of Alabama at Birmingham Mercedes-Benz CIREN Center," Proceedings of the Forty-Third Annual Transportation Conference, Montgomery AL, February 9-10, 2000.

REPORTS

Keeley JW, Eberhardt AW, Kim JE, and Davidson JS, “A Madymo Study of Pelvic Injury Factors in Motor Vehicle Collisions,” a report submitted to the UAB Center for Injury Sciences, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, September 2003.

"The Mercedes-Benz CIREN Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham," chapter of the "CIREN, Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network Program Report" written by Jim Davidson, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), December 2001.

Davidson, J.S., and Simpson, A.M., "A Comprehensive Study of Statistics, Governmental Regulations, and Biomechanical Models for Vehicle Induced Head Injury," report submitted to the Center for Injury Sciences, August 2001.

Davidson, J.S., Simpson, A.M., and Connell, J.D., "Benefits of Interaction Between UTCA and Other Safety-Focused Centers and Organizations," report published by the University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA), UTCA Report 99252, November 30, 2000.

SPONSORED PROJECTS

Co-Investigator, “Development of a Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) Center”, (continuation) sponsored by a Cooperative Research Agreement between Mercedes Benz and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with the UAB Department of Surgery and the Trauma Center, P.I. - Dr. Loring Rue, M.D., Annual Renewal for 5th year, May 2003 through April 2004.

Co-Investigator, “Development of a Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) Center”, (continuation) sponsored by a Cooperative Research Agreement between Mercedes Benz and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with the UAB Department of Surgery and the Trauma Center, P.I. - Dr. Loring Rue, M.D., Annual Renewal for 4th year, May 2002 through April 2003.

Principal Investigator, “Use of Occupant Kinematic Modeling to Identify Forces Causing Traumatic Injury from Motor Vehicle Crashes,” sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the Center for Injury Sciences, September 1, 2001 through August 30, 2002.

Co-Investigator, “Development of a Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) Center”, (continuation) sponsored by a Cooperative Research Agreement between Mercedes Benz and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with the UAB Department of Surgery and the Trauma Center, P.I. - Dr. Loring Rue, M.D., Annual Renewal for 3rd year, May 2001 through April 2002.

Investigator, "Biomechanics of the Pelvic Ring, Acetabular and Ankle Fractures," sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the Center for Injury Sciences, October 2000, 1-year, co-investigators Alan W. Eberhardt, PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Jorge Alonso, MD, Department of Surgery.

Investigator, "Study of Craniofacial Injuries in the Pediatric Trauma Population and Mechanical Characterization of Pediatric Hard Tissue Bone Properties," sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the Center for Injury Sciences, October 2000, 1-year, with Drs. John Grant, M.D., and Evangelos Eleftheriou, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator, “Benefits of Interaction between UTCA and Other Safety-Focused Centers and Organizations,” Project 99-52 sponsored by the University Transportation Center of Alabama (UTCA), September 1, 1999 through August 30, 2000.

Co-Investigator, “Development of a CIREN Center”, sponsored by a Cooperative Research Agreement between Mercedes-Benz and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with the UAB Department of Surgery and the Trauma Center, P.I. - Dr. Loring Rue, M.D., June 1999 through May 2001.

Co-Investigator, “Development of a Model State Brain Injury Program”, sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with the UAB Department of Surgery and the Trauma Center, P.I. - Dr. Loring Rue, M.D., July 1999 through June 2001.