[Nonfatal traumatic lesions in victims of being run over. The medicolegal aspects]

Road traffic accidents represent one of the greatest causes of morbidity and mortality, mainly in countries like Portugal, where the accident rate is one of the highest in Europe. The constant increasing number and variety of circulating vehicles tends to amplify the phenomenon dimension, with resulting human and social costs. Although, in our country, there have been several reports on injuries to occupants of cars in read traffic accidents, there are no more than a few studies on injuries to pedestrians in such accidents. With this goal, a retrospective study of all lawsuits concerning these victims of being run over [correction of trampling], which were examined and concluded at the Clinical Department of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Lisbon during the quinquennium 1985-1989. The population satisfying these requirements consists of 324 persons of both sexes and the results are presented on the basis of some parameters considered helpful to a better understanding of this kind of victims, injuries sustained and medico-legal consequences. In conclusion, we try to define the main injury patterns and to discuss several aspects of medico-legal and social nature concerning this particular road traffic accidents.