The purpose of the current study was to investigate the loading rate dependency, load- sharing and injury mechanisms of the C2-C3 cervical spine unit. A ligamentous bio- realistic finite element model was constructed considering comprehensive geometrical representation at tissue level components and material laws that include strain rate effect, bone fracture and ligament failure. The model has been validated for both quasi-static and dynamic loading scenarios. The study demonstrated four important findings: 1) Cervical segment response is rate dependent as it showed distinctive responses...