If you’ve handled personal injury cases for any length of time, you’ve heard it countless times:
“The property damage was minor.”
“There wasn’t enough force to cause an injury.”
“This was just a bumper tap.”
Insurance companies often use low vehicle damage as a proxy for low bodily injury. But a May 2019 study published in Traffic Injury Prevention suggests that the relationship between vehicle damage and injury is far more complicated.
Researchers Kayla Fewster, Robert Parkinson, and Jack Callaghan examined the characteristics of motor vehicle collisions associated with claimed low back pain. Their findings provide important insight into why seemingly minor crashes can still produce legitimate lumbar spine injuries.
Low-Speed Does Not Mean Low Force
One of the biggest misconceptions in automobile injury litigation is that “low speed” means “low force.”
In reality, even collisions occurring at relatively low speeds generate rapid acceleration and deceleration forces that are transferred directly into the occupants.
Unlike the vehicle, the human body was never designed to absorb these sudden changes in momentum.
During impact, the lumbar spine experiences rapid loading that can stress:
· Lumbar facet joints
· Intervertebral discs
· Spinal ligaments
· Paraspinal muscles
· Joint capsules
· Supporting connective tissues
These structures may be injured without producing fractures or dramatic MRI findings.
If the spine had pre-existing degeneration in any significant way, the person will be more injured with less trauma. This is a key factor in the injuries suffered by car crash victims.
The Vehicle and the Human Body Behave Differently
Modern vehicles are remarkably good at protecting occupants.
Bumpers flex.
Crumple zones absorb energy.
Frames dissipate impact forces.
Human spines don’t.
The fact that a vehicle sustains only minor cosmetic damage does not mean the occupants experienced insignificant biomechanical loading.
A five-mile-per-hour difference in vehicle speed may seem trivial.
To the tissues of the lumbar spine, however, those forces can still be substantial.
Low Back Pain Is a Common Complaint
The investigators found that low back pain is a frequent complaint following low-velocity collisions.
That finding should not surprise experienced personal injury attorneys.
Patients often develop lumbar pain because the lower back helps stabilize the body as seat belts restrain the torso during impact.
The lumbar spine may be subjected to compression, flexion, extension, and rotational forces within fractions of a second.
Even when imaging appears relatively normal, injured ligaments, muscles, facet joints, and discs can become ongoing pain generators.
Why Every Patient Responds Differently
Another important lesson from the study is that no two occupants experience a collision in exactly the same way.
Factors influencing injury include:
· Seat position
· Body size
· Male or female
· Age
· Muscle conditioning
· Pre-existing degeneration- key factor
· Awareness before impact
· Direction of force
· Seat belt fit
· Vehicle design
This helps explain why two people riding in the same vehicle may report dramatically different symptoms after the same collision.
Biomechanics matter.
Property Damage Does Not Predict Injury
Perhaps the most important takeaway for attorneys is that vehicle damage alone is a poor predictor of occupant injury.
Insurance carriers frequently rely on photographs showing an intact bumper or minimal repair costs to argue that significant injury could not have occurred.
Scientific research does not support that conclusion.
Vehicle repair estimates measure damage to metal and plastic—not ligaments, discs, muscles, or spinal joints.
The absence of extensive property damage should never be confused with the absence of injury.
Why Early Conservative Care Is Important
Current clinical guidelines continue to support conservative treatment as the first-line approach for many patients with collision-related low back pain.
Chiropractic physicians are uniquely trained to evaluate spinal biomechanics following motor vehicle collisions and provide treatments aimed at restoring normal movement and function.
These treatments may include:
· Spinal manipulation when clinically appropriate
· Joint mobilization
· Soft tissue therapy
· Therapeutic exercise
· Postural rehabilitation
· Functional recovery programs
· Patient education
Early intervention may reduce pain, improve mobility, and help prevent acute injuries from progressing into chronic pain conditions.
The Takeaway for Attorneys
For Boston personal injury attorneys, this research reinforces an important message: do not judge an injury claim by the appearance of the vehicle.
Low-speed collisions can produce legitimate lumbar spine injuries, even when the property damage appears modest.
When representing clients injured in Boston, Cambridge, Quincy, Newton, Brookline, or throughout Massachusetts, understanding collision biomechanics can help explain why persistent low back pain remains medically reasonable despite minimal vehicle damage.
The next time an adjuster says, “It was only a minor accident,” remember this:
Cars are designed to survive collisions.
The human spine is not.
If you have questions regarding the biomechanics of low-speed collisions or need assistance understanding the medical aspects of a motor vehicle accident case, call Dr. Chris Quigley at 617-720-1992.
Reference
Fewster KM, Parkinson RJ, Callaghan JP. Low-Velocity Motor Vehicle Collision Characteristics Associated with Claimed Low Back Pain. Traffic Injury Prevention. 2019;20(4):419-423.
