Forensic science international
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The objective of this study was to investigate characteristic injuries of pedestrians and bicyclists (unprotected) compared to motor vehicle occupants' (protected) in fatal traffic accidents. Cases of 664 fatal traffic accidents (371 pedestrians, 45 bicyclists, and 248 motor vehicle occupants) were collected from 1999 to 2001 using the database of the Forensic Institute in Budapest. Autopsy reports were analyzed. ⋯ Thoracic damages, such as traumatic aortic rupture, hemothorax, and abdominal damages, like liver rupture were dominant in motor vehicle occupants. Considering existing natural diseases, coronary artery disease was the only one with higher occurrence among motor vehicle occupants 24 (9.7%) compared with pedestrians and bicyclist 36 (8.6%). These results underline the importance of preventive strategies in transportation, pointing out that different methods are necessary to reduce fatal injuries of various traffic participants.