Pattern of injuries in road traffic accidents – An autopsy study

Abstract

The present study is a retrospective study conducted in the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at East Point College of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, for a period of one year, from September 2018 to August 2019. During this period a total of 46 cases of road traffic accidents were reported amounting to 34.6% of total medico-legal autopsies conducted (133 cases). Among 46 cases of road traffic accident majority were males 39 (84.8%) and females account to 7 cases (15.2%). Majority of the victims belonged to age group of 31-50 years. According to the road user category involved in the accident the maximum were pedestrians (45.7 %) followed by the two wheeler (43.5 %) and the main offending vehicle involved in the accidents were two wheeler (43.5 %). High proportion of cases showed skull fractures (87 %), 52.2 % shows chest bone fractures, followed by lower limb (32.6 %) and upper limb (21.7 %) fractures. Most of the skull fractures were associated with brain injury (82.6%) in the form of laceration or contusions of brain or brain haemorrhages, followed by thoracic injuries leading to lung lacerations or contusions (30.4%). Following the road traffic accidents, most of the victims (80.4%) died at the scene before reaching the hospital.