Assistant Professor İbrahim Öztahtalı of Uludağ University's Dramatic Writing Department applied to TÜBİTAK for production of a cervical collar called the "Proneck," which is designed to avoid causing paraplegia while removing a casualty from a car following a traffic accident. If the project is approved, five different prototypes will be produced within two years and introduced to automobile firms.
Also specializing in professional research and rescue activities, Öztahtalı told an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter that he started to work on this project after he came across a conscious casualty who died of a broken neck while being moved out of the car by a first-aider after an accident. He said according to WHO statistics, each year around 150,000 people are diagnosed with paraplegia after traffic accidents.
Öztahtalı said that the Proneck is an effective cervical collar that is placed inside a headrest. "In general, cervical collars have limits while protecting the neck. Proneck has two special hollows placed on the top and the bottom that can fix head, neck and backbone. It helps to position the casualty as if they are lying on a stretcher," he said. Öztahtalı said that the special design avoids the risk of paraplegia even if the casualty is moved out of the car in an incorrect position. "If we can prevent casualties in such situations, Proneck will have achieved its aim. Experts at the Uludağ University Technology Transfer Office contacted some industrial firms to introduce the design to the market. An automotive sub-industry firm showed great interest in our project and innovation," Öztahtalı said.
