New research ‘could save lives at the roadside’

Researchers are “optimistic” that a project to improve the treatment of pedestrians who have been involved in traffic collisions will save lives. The project is being delivered by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust in conjunction with Coventry University’s Centre for Future Transport and Cities, following funding from The Road Safety Trust.

At its core, the project will see the development of a Forensic Pedestrian Trauma Database (FPTD) – effectively a system that enables paramedics to gain information about victims at a much greater speed.

As for how it works, paramedics will take a photo of the vehicle involved in the collision. A computer model will reverse engineer the collision and then work out factors including the vehicle speed and the impact on the pedestrian.

This information can then be added to the database to create a virtual CT scan of what’s happening inside the victim’s body, information that could be ‘critical’ for paramedics.

The information can also be sent to a hospital, speeding up the triage and improving the treatment upon arrival at Accident and Emergency units.