Intrusion greater than 12 inches in an occupant site is a criterion for which mechanism of injury?

• A. Falls greater than 20 ft
• B. High risk auto crash
• C. Auto vs pedestrian thrown or run over
• D. Motorcycle crash greater than 20 mph

Answer: (B)

When a vehicle crash pushes into the occupant compartment by more than 12 inches, it shows that a large amount of crash energy was transmitted to the people inside. That level of intrusion signals a high-energy auto crash, which is a specific mechanism used in trauma triage to identify patients who may have serious injuries even if they appear stable at first glance. This criterion helps determine the need for a rapid, comprehensive trauma evaluation and transport to a trauma center.

Other scenarios use different criteria. Falls from a height, motorcycle crashes, or pedestrian-vehicle collisions each have their own indicators, and intrusion into the passenger area is not the defining feature for those mechanisms.