Retrosceptive Epidemological Study of Fatal Road Traffic Accidents at Mortuary of North Bengal Medical College During 2009–2011

In our country motor vehicle accidents rank on the top among all fatal accidents. An accident represents a major epidemic of noncommunicable disease in the present century. A total of 5806 medico-legal autopsies were conducted in the mortuary of North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling, during three year study period, out of which 1685 (29.02%) cases were due to fatal road traffic accidents (RTA). Female were less involved than men with ratio of 1:6, The principal age group involved in fatal RTA was 21–40 years, 57.32%, and least involved were extremes of ages i.e. below 10 years, 3.62%, and above 60 years, 2.67%. The majority of fatal RTA were due to heavy vehicles (trucks, buses etc), 41.12% of cases followed by light vehicles (car, Jeep, van, taxi etc) 32.40%. Brain was found to be injured in a majority of cases followed by liver and lungs. The victims mostly died of head injuries alone followed by thoraco-abdominal injuries in combination with head injuries. Only 64.09% of victims could be hospitalized and rest of them (35.89%) either succumbed on the spot or died on way to hospital