Deaths from Motorcycle Accidents: An Autopsy Study from Turkey

Abstract

Motorcyclists and pillion passengers in road traffic accidents have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality be- The majority of the cases were young males. Fifty (89.3%) cases were riders and six (10.7%) were pillion passengers. The vast majority (78.6%) of the cases died at the scene or on the same day in hospital. Most of the cases had multiple traumas, and the most common trauma was head trauma (n = 45). The most common injury was intracranial hemorrhage (n = 40). Fifteen (26.8%) cases tested positive for drug and/or alcohol intake.These autopsy findings can be helpful for medicolegal examinations to diagnose possible injuries and also for the automotive industry to improve better protective safety devices for motorcycle riders. ResultsDuring the 9-month period between December 2013and August 2014, a total of 56 autopsies were performed.There were 54 males (96.4%) and 2 females (3.6%). Both the female cases were pillion passengers. In total, 6 cases were pillion passengers and 50 were riders. Three cases Excluding 17 cases, for which the accident type was not recorded, the most common cause of accidents was a collision with a different vehicle (n = 23). Another 16 cases were accidents caused by the motorcycle rider, such as hitting a parked car, hitting a tree, and rollover.Regarding the number of deaths, 27 (48.2%) died at the

The Pattern of Injuries Among Motorcyclists in Fatal Road Traffic Accidents

“…2 These findings contradicted the fact that thoracic visceral organs were well guarded by the thoracic cage compared with abdominal viscera, which were vulnerable to injury. 7,23 At the extremities, the upper limbs were more exposed to injuries (90.5%) than in lower limbs (79.4%), which was in agreement with studies conducted in Lagos and Bangalore. 2,23 In a study in the United States, limb amputations have been documented in motorcycle fatalities, 13 whereas in Turkey and Lagos, pelvic and femoral injuries were common.…”

“…20 However, despite the presence of a helmet, several factors, such as trauma dynamics and substance abuse, may lead to inevitable severe head injury irrespective of wearing a standard performance head protector. 7 Nonhelmeted riders were found to ride under the influence of substance of abuse in this study. 18 The effect of alcohol on homeostatic response mechanism has made them more susceptible to brain hemorrhage.…”

“…Previous studies displayed similar results of motorcycle fatalities in about 92% Malaysian men 6,9 and 96.4% men worldwide. 2,7,[10][11][12] The higher preponderance of men recorded globally could be attributed to the high usage of motorcycles among them. However, the possibilities of men were innately prone to reckless, risk-taking driving behaviors compared with women cannot be ruled out.…”

“…Head injury remains the leading cause of death in road traffic accidents. 2,6,7 Despite the widespread use of helmets, head and neck injuries outnumbered that of chest, abdomen, and extremities. 8 Developing countries has registered lower fatality rates than those in developed countries because of lack of uniformity in the data collection.…”

Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Adli Tıp Anabilim Dalı’na Başvuran Adli Nitelikli Olgular ve Alkol İlişkisinin Değerlendirilmesi

“…Kişilerin beden ve ruh sağlığının bozulmasına ya da ölümüne sebebiyet veren, harici etkenler sonucu oluşan her olay bir adli olgu olarak değerlendirilir. Hastanelerin Acil Servislerine müracaat eden trafik kazası ve iş kazası başta olmak üzere kaza niteliğindeki tüm yaralanmalar, darp, ateşli silah yaralanması, kesici-delici alet yaralanması veya diğer şekillerde oluşan etkili eylemler adli olgu niteliği taşımaktadır (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). Hekimlerin tedavi edici tıbbi görevlerinin yanı sıra, adli nitelikli olgulara yönelik kanun ve kurallara uygun olarak açık ve net anlaşılabilir adli rapor düzenleme ve olayı adli makamlara bildirme gibi adli yükümlülükleri de bulunmaktadır (5,(8)(9)(10)(11).…”