Roller Coaster Truck
 

I had to ride in a co-worker's truck. He had rented a "heavy duty" version of the newest Dodge Ram F3500 to use for a week or so. Riding in this truck was unlike any experience I've ever had with a motor vehicle. It was like it was designed to shake you up and down as much as possible. I had never ridden in a "heavy duty" truck before, but at points I genuinely couldn't believe that a modern vehicle could shake this much on normal roads. The shaking comes as a result of the "heavy duty" design. It is supposed to be very sturdy in order to be able to tow huge loads. As a result, it is designed very rigidly (with little or no shock absorption). I rode in this car for quite a while on a round trip across town from and to the office.

During and after the trip I was thinking about the studies I heard investigated roller coasters and how their intense shaking of the passenger and high g-force accelerations can cause tbi and other related trauma. I haven't ridden roller coasters in years, but the shaky ride in this "heavy duty" truck felt exactly like how a roller coaster shook me.

Everyone on this forum knows so much more about the topic of tbi and brain injury than me, so I would like to know what everyone here thinks. Thank you for your consideration and time. Good wishes and good health to all as well.

Some of us can not tolerate such a rough ride. If I need to ride in such a vehicle, I need to minimize the contact between my back and the back of the seat. A lot of the vibration comes through the seat back. Sitting with your shoulder hunched forward provides for better vertical shock absorption.

Do you think it is possible that it could cause a concussion or tbi in a person? I am fairly sure that it could flare up PCS symptoms, but what about causing a concussion or tbi in an unaffected person?

It could cause a concussion like cluster of symptoms but there are too many variables to say if it did. What matters is how it impacted you.

Absent symptoms, it was just a rough ride.