Coventry research could save lives in road accidents

A detailed database of pedestrian injuries is being developed alongside a mathematical model, which can reverse-engineer pedestrian collisions and produce first-hand virtual CT scans from simple photographs of a patient’s injuries and the vehicle involved.

According to the team, the virtual CT scans can inform paramedics in seconds about the victim’s potential internal injuries per organ, enabling the correct treatment at the scene. The information could also be sent to a hospital, speeding up the triage and improving treatment of the casualty upon their arrival in Accident and Emergency units.

Dr Christophe Bastien, associate professor at Coventry University’s research Centre for Future Transport and Cities, is developing the Forensic Pedestrian Trauma Database (FPTD) alongside colleagues and in conjunction with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW). The team has also been supported with funding from The Road Safety Trust.

Bastien said that in the long-term, the team hopes to develop the framework into something that can be rolled out within the NHS and to healthcare services around the world.