This document discusses road traffic accidents and their medico-legal importance. It describes the types of injuries that can occur to pedestrians, motor vehicle drivers and occupants, and motorcyclists. These include primary and secondary impact injuries for pedestrians. Common injuries for motor vehicle occupants involve the steering wheel, windshield, dashboard and seat belts. Motorcyclists are vulnerable to head, spine and leg injuries due to lack of protection. The document stresses the importance of examining injury patterns and vehicle evidence in traffic accident investigations.

1. Road Traffic Accident

2. Alert today – Alive tomorrow.
If you know you are driving to your death –would
you still drive so fast?
Hug your kids at home, but belt them in the car.
Better be Mister Late than to be Late Mister
Accidents do not happen, they are caused.

4. Attributed to
Human body
Vehicle
Scene of accident

5. Pedestrian
Cyclist/motorcyclist
Occupant of a vehicle

6. Mechanism of pedestrian injury
1.Primary impact injuries
2.Secondary impact injuries
3.Secondary injuries
Waddle’s triad

7. First hit or struck the person
Imprint abrasion or patterned bruise
Parts of the vehicle- bumper, grill, wing, headlight, door
handle
Part of body involved
front or side of car
walking, standing, lying on road

8.  Due to projecting part of the vehicle like bumper, headlight, bonnet, radiator grill
 Centre of gravity
 Injuries caused are
Imprint abrasions,
Contusions,
Lacerations and
Bumper injuries

10. • Imprint abrasion or pattern contusion helps to identify the offending vehicle
• Height of the fracture from the heel corresponds to height of bumper from ground
except
When the persons walking
Sudden application of the brake causes the front end of
vehicle to dip downward
• Position of the person at the time of impact
MEDICOLEGAL IMPORTANCE

13.  Due to sliding up the bonnet causing injuries due to the impact against the windshield
pillar or glass
Medico legal Importance
 Transfer of evidentiary material thereby building causal relation
 Tire marks as trace evidence

16.  Due to fall on the ground causing injuries to prominent parts like knee, hip, front or back
or sides of the body.
 Grazed abrasions
Medico legal Importance
 Grazed abrasion (brush burns) helps in determining the direction of the movement of
victim

18. Serious injuries
1.Inherent instability of two-wheelers
2.Unprotected-no protective gear
3.Rash and negligent driving
Head injuries
Leg injuries’
Tailgating or under running

21. Driver, passengers
Impact- front, back, sides, roll over/roof
Injuries to driver
Injuries to front seat occupant
Injuries to back seat occupant
Ejection crash injuries

22.  External injuries
 Internal injuries

23. Injuries to driver of motor vehicle
Steering wheel impact:
Horn boss-Transverse fracture of sternum
Rim- Crush liver, spleen, kidney, duodenum and cause ‘flail chest’ or ‘stove in’ chest

24. Injuries to driver of motor vehicle
Windscreen:
Dicing or sparrow feet lacerations
 Ladder tears of aorta

26. Dashboard Injuries
 due to sudden application of brake
Posterior dislocation of hip joint and fracture neck of
femur
Whiplash injuries

27. Seat-belt injuries or
seat belt syndrome:
• Direct injuries: Abrasion,
contusion or hematoma of lower
abdomen
•Compression injuries due to
compression of the abdominal organs
between belt and vertebral column:
Rupture of liver, spleen, pancreas,
caecum, urinary bladder

29. Injuries to front seat passenger of motor vehicle
Windscreen: Dicing or sparrow feet lacerations
Ejected from windscreen
Ladder tears of aorta
Dashboard Injuries due to sudden application of brake:
Posterior dislocation of hip joint and fracture neck of femur,
Fracture of patella
Whiplash injuries

30. Seat-belt injuries or seat belt syndrome:
• Direct injuries: Abrasion, contusion or hematoma of lower abdomen
• Compression injuries due to compression of the abdominal organs
between belt and vertebral column: Rupture of liver, spleen, pancreas,
caecum, urinary bladder

32. Injuries to rear seat passenger of motor vehicle
Less fatalities
 Hit the front seat
Thrown on to the windscreen
Injuries from interior fittings like door handles, window winders, mirror and lights

36. 1. Lap strap
2. Shoulder diagonal
3. Diagonal plus lap
strap
4. Shoulder harness

37. Section 279, 337, 338 and 304 A of IPC
Alcohol- DD
Injury certificate
PM report

38.  Injuries to pedestrian
 Injuries to driver and occupants of motor vehicle
 Injuries to a motorcyclist

39. Injuries to pedestrian

40. Primary Impact injuries
Secondary Impact injuries
Secondary injuries

41. Primary Impact injuries
Injuries sustained by the pedestrian as a result of
striking by the offending vehicle for the first time

43. Secondary Impact injuries
Injuries sustained by the pedestrian
as a result of
second impact with the
offending vehicle
subsequent to the primary impact injury

45. Secondary injuries
Injuries sustained by the pedestrian as a result of
striking the ground or any object other than the
offending vehicle after being knocked down by
the offending vehicle

47. Injuries to driver and occupants of motor
vehicle

48. Injuries to motorcyclist
Head, face and spine commonly fractured
 Hinge fracture common
 Under-running or tail gating