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[RC] head injuries and helmets - Lynn White


Heidi wrote:

My point is that the materials of the helmet did exactly as they were 
intended--they took the brunt of the blow and responded through their own 
breakage instead of through breakage to my head!  Had I not been wearing the 
helmet, this accident would most likely have resulted in skull fracture, and 
probably fatality.

As usual, Heidi is right!

If one had a really bad fall and your helmet broke all that means is that the 
most the energy of the impact was imparted into the helmet and NOT the scull. 
In short, sometimes it’s a good thing for a helmet to break.   Think about 
all those slow motion “tests” on the car commercials:  The car gives and 
disintegrates around the passengers absorbing the energy of the impact.  Older 
cars were not designed to absorb the energy of an impact which resulted in more 
serious injuries and deaths to passengers even though they were wearing their 
seat belts.    The design of a helmet is quite similar in this respect.  If 
anyone as a serious fall in a helmet they should get a new helmet because the 
energy imparted into the helmet my compromise further ability of the helmet to 
absorb energy from another impact.  Helmets are not elastic, and neither is a 
scull. A $50 helment can save you a $500,000 hospital bill.  Makes the Geiko 
commercials look whimpy.


Lynn






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