You arrive on the scene of a two-car motor vehicle collision. The patient was the unrestrained driver of a car that struck another car from behind while moving at a speed of 25 mph. During the collision, the patient flew forward and struck the windshield with his head. No air bags were deployed. The patient extricated himself and denies head, neck, or back pain; however, you do note a small cut on his hand, which occurred as he was getting out of the car. When asked about preexisting medical problems, he tells you that he did have herniated disks in his lumbar spine that were surgically repaired several years ago. Based on this information, your strongest reason to initiate spine motion restriction precautions for this patient would be:

A) History of back surgery
B) Laceration to the hand
C) Self-extrication of the patient
D) Mechanism of injury

D) Mechanism of injury