William Lehman Injury Research Center Receives BMW X3 as Accident Research Vehicle

Press Release: Today at the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles Conference the BMW Group delivered the keys to a new BMW X3 to the William Lehman Injury Research Center for use as an accident research vehicle. The keys to the specially-marked X3 were hand-over to Jeffrey S. Augenstein MD, PhD, FACS, Professor of Surgery, William Lehman Injury Research Center by Klaus Kompass, Vice-President of Vehicle Safety for the BMW Group. Also announced was a new milestone in post crash safety research.

In the latest project BMW will transmit crash data directly to a trauma center. In case an accident happens involving a BMW equipped with enhanced Automatic Collision Notification (eACN) in the vicinity of the Ryder trauma center in Miami the crash data would be displayed in real time in the trauma resuscitation area.

This technology allows the trauma surgeon to be better prepared in respect to diagnosis and treatment. Further, the WLIRC just started a field trial funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and supported by BMW to understand and show the importance of advanced telematics data in improving dispatch and field triage decision.

“This marks the next step in the important collaboration between the BMW Group and WLIRC that began in 2001,” noted Klaus Kompass. “Our collaboration resulted in the milestone development of BMW’s enhanced Automatic Collision Notification system. Now first responders to a crash scene can arrive better prepared already knowing the likelihood of severe injury. At BMW we are constantly working on active safety systems that help the BMW driver avoid a crash, should one occur to reduce the likelihood of injuries, and if the people inside are injured, to support the best rescue. We know that every second counts.”

“The collaboration between BMW and the William Lehman Injury Research Center (at the Ryder Trauma Center) continues to benefit the team of engineers and doctors, working side by side in crash investigations, to improve the diagnosis and treatment of severely injured crash occupants,” noted Dr. Augenstein.

The WLIRC and BMW have collaborated on research and development of the enhanced Automatic Collision Notification system since 2001. For the last five years the WLIRC and BMW have been engaged in real world accident research in the US in order to aid work being done by BMW Group engineers in Munich, Germany where ongoing accident research has been conducted for over 35 years.

Today, this ground-breaking technology is available in all BMW’s equipped with BMW AssistTM. In a severe collision not only will BMW Assist transmit the vehicle’s location to the emergency call center, it also provides an assessment of the risk of severe injury to the driver or passengers, through a specially-developed algorithm, in order to better prepare first responders before they arrive on scene and support their triage decision. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the decision to take injured occupants to a trauma center rather than to a regular hospital if telematics suggest the risk of severe injury, can make a significant difference in treatment, recovery and survival.

“Knowing not only the precise location of a crash but also the potential for life threatening injuries immediately will propel emergency services to the scene armed with the necessary life-saving tools,” states Dr. Augenstein. “When fully implemented, a trauma system based on enhanced Automatic Collision Notification will save thousands of lives. BMW has taken a leadership position in this effort. BMW is due a tremendous amount of credit for spearheading this life-saving safety initiative.”

Source: BMW