A Langley chiropractor has become the first in B.C. to become an accident reconstruction specialist.

By Erin McKay emckay@langleyadvanced.com

When it comes to car accidents, there is a belief that if very little damage is done to the vehicle, there is very little damage done to the people inside. That theory is wrong, said Langley chiropractor Dr. Alan Irving, who now has the evidence - and the knowledge - to prove it. Dr. Irving participated in a series of studies conducted in San Diego by the Spine Research Institute, which saw humans used as crash test dummies in low speed crashes.

By using live subjects, program participants, many whom were doctors and other medical professionals who deal with whiplash injuries, were able to get a better understanding of what happens to the body when the car it is in gets hit at a low speed. Volunteers were put in vehicles that were struck from various angles at various speeds to see the impact that the crashes had on their bodies. The results were surprising.

"It opened my eyes," said Dr. Irving. "It makes you a better person to treat patients when you understand the mechanics of their injuries." The experiments conducted also provided Dr. Irving with information that he can pass on to his patients, the public, ICBC, and lawyers, especially regarding the importance of restraining devices such as seat belts, air bags, and head rests, which proved to be major factors in lessening injuries during tests.

During the study, instruments were placed on the volunteers to measure the acceleration forces they were being subjected to. Although the speeds used were mostly too low to produce visible damage to the car, forces to the human head that were as high as 13g were recorded. According to Irving, because cars are being better built to withstand crashes these days, the people inside are bearing the brunt of accidents. "We're learning that most cars on the road today are very stiff from an engineering standpoint, at crash speeds to 10mph or less," said Irving. "As a result, a surprising amount of energy is transferred to the cars occupants in low speed rear impact crashes, and this goes a long way to explaining why these injuries are often quite serious and disabling," he said.

Dr. Irving, who is the only chiropractor in B.C. to become an accident reconstructionist, said seeing first-hand what happens to a person when they are in a car accident has given him a better understanding of how to help heal their injuries.

"I want to put it together and see it from both ends." said Dr. Irving. " I want to be the mechanic, and the race car driver."