Characteristics of injuries due to traffic accidents in the pediatric age group

Abstract

BACKGROUND In this study, the pediatric age group exposed to road traffic accidents was investigated, and patients with risk factors were studied to obtain relevant data. METHODS Trauma patients under the age of 15 who were admitted to the emergency department of this university over five years were analyzed retrospectively. Age, gender, accident time and type, personal injury area, type of injury, and clinical outcome were examined. RESULTS When the cases were analyzed with respect to the causes that led to the accidents, in-vehicle accidents formed the largest group (n=479, 59%). More than a quarter of all applications (34%) took place in summer months. Most of the applications were between 17:00 and 17:59 (n=94, 11.6%), followed by between 18:00 and 18:59 (n=88, 10.8%). The most commonly affected body parts were the head and neck region (n=226, 27.8%) and extremities (lower extremity: n=144, 17.7%; upper extremity: n=99, 12.2%). The most frequently seen injuries were contusions, abrasions, hematomas, and crush (n=443, 54.6%). The majority of patients who died were pedestrians who were hit by a motor vehicle (n=19, 59.4%). CONCLUSION In this study, it was observed that in the pediatric age group, traffic accidents involving a pedestrian and vehicle collision have greater fatality.