[BraveMan]

Please cite your source.

If you glance at my FReeper page you can see my source . . .

Jacob died at the scene from the head injuries he received in the accident (though he was a belted passenger in an airbag equipped vehicle). We agreed that his organs should be donated. I was quite puzzled when we were told his organs couldn't be used, because he was a strong, physically fit and healthy 16 year old at the time of the accident; a model donor if there ever was one.

We were informed by personnel at the Wisconsin Tissue Bank that when traumatic, fatal head injuries occur the body releases chemicals that destroy internal organ viability, rendering them unsuitable for donation.

Jacob's skin and bone were donated to 244 recipients in 44 states, through the efforts of the Wisconsin Donor Network.

[43north]

My condolences at the loss of your son. That is the worst thing that can ever happen to a parent. You helped a lot of people by donating those parts of his body that were able to be used.

Tissue damage due to loss of oxygen starts as soon as the heart stops. Because of this internal organs are only taken for donation from people who are brain dead but whose hearts are still working. If a person’s heart stopped at the time of injury - no matter the cause of death - the internal organs would not be acceptable for transplant unless they were removed and cooled rapidly. That is not going to happen at a motor vehicle accident scene.