Medico-Legal Update
  • Year: 2015
  • Volume: 15
  • Issue: 2

A Retrospective Study of Pattern of Vertebral and Spinal Injuries in Cases of Road Traffic Accidents

Department of Forensic Medicine, Victoria Hospital, Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, Bangalore

*Corresponding author: Dr Dileepkumar KB, Assistant Professor, Dept of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Victoria Hospital, Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, KR Road, Bangalore-560002, E-mail: drdileepkb@rediffmail.com, Mob: +91 9591780922

Abstract

Vertebral and spinal injuries are the one of the devastating injuries that can happen in one's life in a case of road traffic accident.

To study various Pattern of vertebral and spinal injuries in fatal cases of road traffic accidents.

Cross sectional autopsy based study.

Autopsy done during the period of January 2013 to December 2013.

3844 autopsy was done during this period out of these 636(10.9%) cases were of road traffic accidents. Out of these 95(14.9%) cases were associated with vertebral and spinal injuries, majority were males 85(89.5%) followed by female 10(10.5%), 84(88.4%) cases were known and 11(11.6%) cases was unknown. Most of the cases occurred while crossing the road or hit and run to the footpath standers 46(48.4%) followed by drivers (30.5%), 63(66.3%) cases were brought dead and 32(33.7%) cases were hospitalized. Among these 86(90.5%) cases were associated with head injury, chest injury and abdominal injuries, 29(34.1%) cases were associated with upper limb and lower limb fractures.

Keywords

Road traffic accidents, vertebral injuries, spinal injuries, upper limb and lower limb fractures