What injury might occur if a deformed dashboard is noted during assessment after a motor vehicle collision?

The presence of a deformed dashboard during the assessment of a patient after a motor vehicle collision suggests that the patient experienced significant forces during the impact. In such cases, one potential injury that may occur is a liver rupture. This can happen if the patient's abdomen strikes the steering wheel or dashboard with enough force, causing the liver, which is located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, to be compressed against the bony structures of the rib cage.

Liver contusions or lacerations are common in trauma cases where the abdomen is subjected to rapid deceleration and blunt force. The dashboard's deformation indicates that the passenger may have been thrown forward into it, increasing the likelihood of solid organ injuries, particularly to the liver.

In contrast, while a sternal fracture, aortic tear, and head laceration are all potential injuries that can occur in motor vehicle collisions, they are less directly associated with a deformed dashboard. Sternal fractures may result from direct impact to the chest but are not as specific to dashboard crush injuries. An aortic tear is typically associated with severe deceleration and can occur with significant blunt trauma but is also not as closely linked to dashboard contact. Similarly, head lacerations may result from various types of impacts but