Dateline St. Louis metro. Not every crash on this wire involves the reader's own car. Some come from the back seat of a rideshare or a cab: the ride home from Lambert, from a game downtown, from a late shift after the bus stopped running. The driver is a stranger, the car is not yours, and when the crash comes, you are the one person in it with nothing to hold on to.
How passengers sit
Drivers face forward and watch the road. Back seat passengers usually do neither. They look down at a phone, turn to talk to a friend, lean against a door, or sit in the middle. Plenty skip the belt in the back on a short ride.
Each of those matters in a crash. A head that is bent down or turned when the hit comes is not in the position a headrest was built for. An unbelted passenger can be thrown into the seat back, the door or another person. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's seat belt guidance is simple: buckle up in every seat, on every trip. That includes the back seat of a car you are paying for.
The passenger's scene
When a rideshare crashes, the driver deals with the other driver, the police and their own company. Passengers tend to stand on the shoulder, say they are fine, and order another ride. That last step is where most passenger files go quiet.
Before you get into the next car, if it is safe to do so:
- Screenshot the trip in the app: the date, the time, the pickup and drop-off points, and the driver's name and vehicle. The app keeps a record, but a screenshot is yours.
- Photograph where you were sitting, and the damage to the car.
- Note which way you were facing and what you were doing: phone in hand, turned left, leaning on the window.
- Get the names of anyone who rode with you.
Then, before bed, write down where the hit came from, where your head and shoulders went, and what hurts. The same night-of note that the 270 loop file recommends for drivers works for passengers.
Why the passenger's neck reports late too
A passenger's soft tissue follows the same clock as a driver's. Stress chemistry at the scene blunts pain; the neck and back often stiffen by the next morning and keep getting louder for two or three days. The 72-hour lag explains why. A head that was turned or bent at impact can make the pattern one-sided, which people sometimes write off as having slept wrong.
Getting to the exam without a car
Here is the passenger's particular problem. The exam should happen this week, and the reason you were in a rideshare is often that you do not drive, or did not have your car. Plan the trip like any other appointment.
- Pick the office by the ride, not the map. Hazelwood, at 14 Village Square Shop Ctr, is a short drive from Lambert and the north county stretch of I-270. Tesson Ferry is on Tesson Ferry Road in south county. O'Fallon is on West Terra Lane in St. Charles County.
- Avoid the lunch gap. Every office closes from 12 to 2. Book a morning or mid-afternoon slot so a late pickup does not land you at a locked door.
- Bring a friend if you can. A second person helps with notes and questions, and some people are not ready to sit in a stranger's back seat again the next day. That is common, and worth mentioning at the exam.
- Bring the screenshot. The date and time on the trip record anchor the history.
Getting on the schedule covers what to say on the call and what the first visit produces.
What the exam is for
Missouri Injury Clinic publishes auto injuries as a lane: diagnosis and a treatment plan after a crash. Being a passenger does not change that. Tell the office it was a car crash, that you were a passenger, and when it happened. The clinic says it reserves same-day appointment times daily for car accident injuries. Hazelwood, at 14 Village Square Shop Ctr, is the nearest office for north side readers: (314) 627-1411, Monday through Thursday 9 to 6 and Friday 9 to noon. Tesson Ferry in south county, (314) 530-5480, keeps the same hours. O'Fallon, (636) 280-0990, is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9 to 6, with Wednesday and Friday by appointment. Every office closes from 12 to 2.
Questions about who pays for what after a rideshare crash are not this desk's beat. Ask the office on the phone how a visit is billed, and take the answer from them.
The head, for passengers too
An unbelted passenger's head can hit a window, a seat back or another person's head. If yours did, read the head file first.
Before anything on this page. Chest pain, a sudden severe headache, weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a loss of bowel or bladder control, or a head injury with vomiting or worsening confusion is an emergency room trip right now, not a call to a clinic. If you are not sure, the emergency room is the right call.