Stranded Motorist Deaths in Harris County, Texas: A Deadly Game of Highway Roulette

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize that nonintentional injuries are a leading cause of death and disability. Current literature identifies risk factors and prevention strategies for motor vehicle crashes and auto-pedestrian incidents. However, scant literature provides prevention strategies for the stranded motorist (SM). The SM is defined as any occupant of a vehicle that is stopped in or on the side of a road. The purpose of this case report was to identify and describe the circumstances of SM death. Death data were identified from the medicolegal death investigation agency. Between 2004 and 2014, Harris County, Texas, had 46 SM deaths, and of those deaths, 74% occurred while outside the vehicle, and most motorists become stranded because of mechanical issues (67%). An outcome of the report was a public service announcement aimed at primary injury prevention. The medicolegal death investigation agency changed how they categorize the SM.