Using information about natural laws, explain why some car crashes produce minor injuries and others produce catastrophic injuries.

Car crashes can vary greatly in their outcomes, ranging from minor injuries to catastrophic ones due to a variety of factors, all of which relate to natural laws and physics principles. Here are some of the reasons:

1. Speed - According to the law of kinetic energy (KE = 1/2 mv^2), where 'm' stands for mass and 'v' for velocity (speed), the kinetic energy of a moving object increases with the square of its speed. Therefore, cars that crash at higher speeds have much more energy that needs to be dissipated during the collision, potentially leading to more severe injuries.

2. Mass and Momentum - The momentum of a vehicle, which is the product of its mass and velocity (p = mv), also plays a crucial role. A heavier vehicle carries more momentum and, in a collision, can cause more damage to both itself and to any other object it hits, following the principle of conservation of momentum.

3. Safety features - The design of modern cars incorporates various safety features like airbags, crumple zones, and seat belts. These are engineered to absorb energy and reduce the forces on the occupants’ bodies by extending the time period over which the collision occurs, thereby lessening the impact severity (a concept derived from the impulse-momentum relationship).

4. Type of Impact - The severity of injuries can also depend on the type of crash (frontal, side-impact, rear-end, rollover). Different types have different risk profiles. For instance, side impacts have less buffer zone (car door rather than engine block), potentially causing more harm.

5. Angle of Collision - The angle at which a collision occurs can significantly affect its severity. A direct head-on collision tends to be more forceful and destructive due to the direct opposing forces, as compared to a glancing blow or a side swipe, which can redirect some of the energy.

6. Occupant’s Position and Restraint Use - Injuries are also influenced by whether the vehicle’s occupants are wearing seat belts, their seating positions, and whether they are facing forward or sideways. Properly wearing seat belts keeps occupants secured and can reduce the force of impact on their bodies.

7. Material Properties and Car Design - The materials and design of car structures can absorb and redistribute forces differently. Cars with better-engineered crumple zones can decrease injury risk during crashes as they are designed to deform in a controlled manner.

Lastly, external factors like the nature of the surface the car crashes into, whether it's a solid wall or another vehicle, and environmental conditions like weather can also influence the severity of crash outcomes.