Airbag Deployment and Concussion: An Intake Guide for Treasure Coast Providers
Airbags prevent many serious injuries, and a deployment still tells you the crash was significant. Questions Port St. Lucie, Stuart and Vero Beach providers can ask so a concussion is not missed.
A new patient sits down in your Port St. Lucie office four days after a crash on the Turnpike. The intake form says "neck pain, low back pain." When you ask about the crash, she mentions that the airbags went off, the car smelled like smoke, and she "felt foggy for a while."
That last phrase is easy to miss in a busy musculoskeletal visit. This guide covers why airbag deployment is worth a few extra questions and what those questions can look like. It is educational only and does not replace your clinical judgment.
Key takeaways
- Frontal and side airbags are generally designed to deploy in moderate to severe crashes (NHTSA).
- In a CIREN trauma-center study, the driver-side airbag was the most common injury source in mild TBI cases (24.8%).
- About 11% of mild TBIs in that study came from head motion with no identified head contact.
- A few intake questions about deployment, head contact and dazed feelings help keep a concussion from being missed.
What a deployment tells you
Airbags save lives, and nothing here suggests otherwise. NHTSA explains that frontal and side airbags are generally designed to deploy in moderate to severe crashes. Frontal airbags typically deploy in crashes roughly equal to hitting a solid wall at 8 to 14 mph or more, or a similar parked car at about 16 to 28 mph. The bag inflates in less than one-twentieth of a second.
So when a patient reports a deployment, you know the crash was not a parking-lot tap. That alone is a reason to ask about the head.
What the research says about airbags and mild TBI
A study of Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) patients treated at trauma centers looked at the causes of mild traumatic brain injury in crashes. The driver-side airbag was the most common source of injury in mild TBI cases, at 24.8%. Another 10.9% of mild TBIs came from head motion without any identified head contact (Dischinger et al., 2003).
The same group noted that airbags are linked to fewer serious brain injuries. The trade-off favors airbags. For intake purposes, the point is simpler: "the airbag hit my face" and "I didn't hit my head" are both answers that still leave room for a concussion.
Recovery is not always quick, either. In the TRACK-TBI study of patients seen at U.S. Level I trauma centers, 53% of people with mild TBI still reported some functional limitation 12 months later (Nelson et al., JAMA Neurology, 2019).
Questions worth asking at the first visit
A few targeted questions fit into most intake visits:
- Which airbags deployed: steering wheel, dashboard, side curtain, seat or knee?
- Where were you sitting, and were you wearing a seatbelt?
- Did your face, glasses or head touch the airbag, window, headrest or pillar?
- Did you feel dazed, confused or "foggy," even briefly? Is there any gap in your memory of the crash or the minutes after?
- Since the crash, have you had headaches, dizziness, light or noise sensitivity, trouble concentrating, irritability or sleep changes?
Those symptom groups mirror what the CDC lists for concussion: physical, thinking, emotional and sleep-related. Some appear right away. Others are noticed days later, often when the patient goes back to work or screens.
A side curtain deployment is also a clue to the crash direction. Side impacts at intersections on US-1, Port St. Lucie Boulevard or Kanner Highway can move the head sideways toward the window or across the car.
"The airbag hit my face" and "I didn't hit my head" are both answers that still leave room for a concussion.
Writing it down
Good notes do not need to be long. Record the deployment, seating position, belt use, head contact, any alteration of awareness and the symptom answers, each with a date. If symptoms change at later visits, a short dated line keeps the timeline clear for you and for the next provider who sees the chart.
When to refer
Most patients with a mild concussion improve with time and sensible guidance. Consider testing when thinking, mood or sleep symptoms persist, when they interfere with work or driving, or when the history raises questions.
When you decide testing makes sense, Braintree's mobile team performs concussion and TBI testing at your office in Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Tradition, Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Vero Beach, Sebastian and nearby communities. Scheduling is coordinated with your office. Results come back as physician-reviewed diagnostic reports for your clinical decisions. You can send a referral, learn about concussion and TBI testing, or see mobile testing in Port St. Lucie and the Treasure Coast.
Recent local crashes appear on the Port St. Lucie and Treasure Coast Crash Map. Patient-facing information is on our For Patients page.
Frequently asked questions
Can an airbag cause a concussion?
It can. In a study of crash patients treated at trauma centers, the driver-side airbag was the most common injury source in mild TBI cases. Airbags still prevent many serious injuries and save lives.
Can a patient have a concussion without hitting their head in a crash?
Yes. In the same study, about 11% of mild TBIs came from head motion without an identified head contact.
At what speed do airbags deploy?
NHTSA says frontal airbags typically deploy in crashes roughly equal to hitting a solid wall at 8 to 14 mph or more, or a similar parked car at about 16 to 28 mph.
What should providers ask a crash patient whose airbags deployed?
Which airbags deployed, seating position and belt use, any head or face contact, any dazed feeling or memory gap, and whether headaches, dizziness, concentration, mood or sleep have changed.
Can Braintree test patients at my office in Port St. Lucie, Stuart or Vero Beach?
Yes. When you decide testing makes sense, Braintree's mobile team tests at your office and returns physician-reviewed diagnostic reports. Scheduling is coordinated with your office.
Sources
- NHTSA: Air bags
- Dischinger P et al. Causes and outcomes of mild traumatic brain injury: an analysis of CIREN data. Annu Proc Assoc Adv Automot Med. 2003;47:577-589
- CDC: Symptoms of mild TBI and concussion (including danger signs)
- CDC: About mild TBI and concussion
- Nelson LD et al. Recovery after mild traumatic brain injury in patients presenting to US Level I trauma centers: a TRACK-TBI study. JAMA Neurol. 2019;76(9):1049-1059
- NIH, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Traumatic brain injury
- FLHSMV: Florida Traffic Crash Facts Annual Report 2024
- Florida Department of Health: Florida trauma centers (updated July 23, 2026)
- HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, Fort Pierce (Level II Trauma Center)
Photo credits: Roosevelt Bridge and Stuart by JonathanPuello, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Side-curtain airbags by artistmac, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
This article is educational and is not medical or legal advice. If this is a medical emergency, call 911.
