Physically, the only real difference between the head being still or in motion when struck, is frame of reference

Physically, the only real difference between the head being still or in motion when struck, is frame of reference. The real difference, doctors have learned, is that does not lie in if the head is in motion or not, but in such factors as the velocity of impact and the characteristics of the object that strike the head.

So, a high-speed crash will have a greater impact velocity than a low-speed crash – in most cases. In reality, researchers have learned, such details as the type of crash can be very significant. A high speed rollover can be relatively harmless, compared to collision with another vehicle or a fixed object, even if the speed is much lower. Even in crashes that seem very similar, it isn’t uncommon for one person to receive a major head injury, where another did not receive an impact to the head at all.

A major factor in head injury is the striking object itself. Given that the object does not pierce the skull as a bullet would, the important characteristics of the struck or striking object is how stiff it is and its general surface area. Doctors in Staten Island and Suffolk County.

Stiffness is not the same as hardness. The sheet metal panel of a car might be very hard, but it will buckle when struck with another object, such as the head of a pedestrian, which may result in a lesser injury than if that same person’s head struck the concrete, which is of almost infinite stiffness compared to the head of the victim.