Child pedestrian injury: a population-based collision and injury severity profile

Linked multiple data sources were analyzed to provide a population-based collision and injury severity profile among pedestrians under 20 years of age struck by a motor vehicle during 1986-1987 in Hartford, Connecticut. Data sources included police accident reports, medical examiner records, and hospital charts. There were 234 motor vehicle-pedestrian collisions reported to the police in the study period. Of these, 213 were Hartford residents resulting in an annual age-specific pedestrian collision rate of 22.8 per 10,000 persons. A spot map of collision location reveals several well-defined geographic areas, which includes nearly half (45%) of the motor vehicle-pedestrian collisions. We reviewed 143 of 192 medical charts (75%) and 6 medical examiner records. The case fatality rate was 4.2% and the mean Injury Severity Score was 4.4. These findings will be useful for designing, implementing, and evaluating a targeted child pedestrian safety program.