High Technology: Automatic Collision Notification in Miami
The Golden Hour is the first hour after a car accident because if you bring a car wreck victim to the hospital within an hour after the crash, his or her "odds of survival and recovery are highest."
MIAMI, FL, June 22, 2011
The Golden Hour is the first hour after a car accident, according to Bill Howard of ExtremeTech. It's called the Golden Hour because if you bring a car wreck victim to the hospital within an hour after the crash, his or her "odds of survival and recovery are highest."Since 2001, BMW has been working with the William Lehman Injury Research Center at the University of Miami to improve what's known as automatic collision notification.
This technology promises to do just that: alert first-responders and trauma centers where it hurts and how bad, so that health care professionals will be better equipped to deal with the emergency when the victim arrives, and so the car wreck victim can get there faster.
If you have been injured in a car crash, talk to a Miami car accident attorney about your legal options.
'Massaging' the Data after Car Accidents
Howard characterizes existing automatic collision notification technology this way: "airbags-went-bang-send-help-to-this-geographic-coordinate." In other words, the existing technology - GM's OnStar system, for instance, is an example of automatic collision notification - is relatively primitive.
It doesn't give any further data beyond the fact that there was a car accident and the airbags deployed, in addition to a few other factors, such as how severe the collision was. A squad car will come to investigate, then emergency medical services are called, then (in a serious accident) the jaws of life are brought to bear on the vehicle - all the while, the Golden Hour is running down.
What BMW is trying to do is speed up the process.
If the Golden Hour is so critical, it makes sense to get more data to the appropriate emergency responders faster. BMW's manager of product analysis Peter Baur says, "We collect the sensor data, massage it, evaluate it," as Howard reports. The evaluated data is then sent to 911 call centers, so that 911 phone operators can send the appropriate response - be it an ambulance or helicopter.
The Miami Ryder Trauma Center
And, if you've been injured in a Miami auto accident, the data is also sent to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.
University of Miami surgery professor Jeffrey Augenstein says, "The victim might feel fine but he could be bleeding internally," referring to enhanced data analysis of a side impact collision, for example, that could alert surgeons to potential problems.
BMW's enhanced automatic collision notification could prove to be very useful in saving lives.
Ferrer Shane, PL, is a Miami personal injury law firm, that represents accident victims throughout south Florida. For more information about their law firm, visit their website, http://www.ferrerlaw.com/.