The local buckling behavior of H-shaped steel members with large width-thickness ratios subjected to lateral impact was investigated theoretically and numerically.In the theoretical analysis, Yield Line Mechanism was introduced to establish the theoretical model and the idealized plastic material model was adopted.Analytical solutions for the collapse curve were developed, and used to model large deformation behavior and energy absorption.The theoretical results were proved to compare well with the numerical values.Thereafter, the effect of section geometry including flange thickness and web thickness on the energy absorption (EA) average crash force (Favg) and specific absorbed energy (SEA) were analyzed accurately.Moreover, the results of theoretical analysis gave a reliable prediction of deformation and energy absorption for similar members and provided a reference to the research and design for resisting impact of H-shaped members with large width-thickness ratios subjected to lateral impact.