Compression injury is most likely due to which of the following?

• A. Stabbing
• B. Improperly placed lab belt
• C. Hollow-organ rupture
• D. Ejection of unrestrained driver

Answer: (B)

When a restraint belt is not positioned correctly, the lap portion can ride up over the abdomen. In a crash, the body stops quickly while the belt continues to push inward, squeezing the soft tissues between the belt and the spine. This focused compression can injure abdominal organs and the mesentery, and it’s a classic mechanism of compression injuries.

If the belt sits properly—low across the hips and pelvis—the force is distributed across the rigid pelvic bones and the chest strap helps control movement, minimizing direct abdominal compression. That’s why an improperly placed lap belt is the best explanation for a compression injury.

Stabbing describes a penetrating wound, not a compression injury. Hollow-organ rupture can occur with blunt trauma but is not the typical mechanism described by belt-induced compression. Ejection of an unrestrained driver involves severe deceleration and multiple injury mechanisms, not the specific abdominal compression from a mispositioned lap belt.