Title: Pioneer in Injury Prevention, Carl Cyrus Clark, Dies at Age 82

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Section/SPIG: Injury Control and Emergency Health Services

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Carl Cyrus Clark, a pioneer in injury prevention, died on August 24 at age 82 in Thetford, Vermont. He was a renowned specialist in crash protection and acceleartion. He conducted research that contributed significantly to the development of airbags. Ralph Nader, who relied on his findings for his own book Unsafe at Any Speed, said "people are safer because of his work. He did more for humanity than 99.9% of the world's scientists". Dr. Clark was the first person to test the effectivness of air bags, using himself as the guinea pig. He also stayed on a centrifuge for 24 hours in 1957, to test human limits. Later in his career, he investigated the use of laminated glass to prevent ejections through the side windows of cars and trucks. He also worked on air bag bumpers that would deploy just before a crash and created wearable air bags for the elderly to guard against hip fractures.