Fatal Head Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: Autopsy study in Patan hospital

Abstract

This study was conducted at Department of Forensic Medicine, Patan hospital among total 150 autopsy cases of head injuries in road traffic accident (RTA) victims over a period of three years (14^th April 2018 to 13^th April 2021 A.D). The objective of this study was to observe incidences and the patterns of head injury among the RTA victims. Out of 150 cases, 115 were male comprising 76.7% and 35 were female comprising 23.3%. The maximum incidence of RTA was observed among age group of 20-30 years (30%) and the time of incident where most accidents occurred was between 12:00 PM to 04:00 PM (27.30%). Pedestrians were the most vulnerable road occupants (30%), followed by motorcycle rider (26.7%). Out of total 150 cases of head injuries, skull fractures were found in 93 (62 %) cases. The most common bone involved was the temporal bone 40 (43.01 %), followed by frontal 22 (23.65%).  Intracranial hemorrhage was seen in 66.66% of total cases. Most common type of intracranial hemorrhage was Subdural hemorrhage (SDH) in 54%, followed by Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in 31% cases. Fatalities due to head trauma in RTA can be reduced if there is an early detection of injuries and timely intervention.