Evaluation of head injuries in forensic autopsies of violent traffic deaths from 2020-2021 at HOGGY

Abstract

Introduction: Deaths from head injuries secondary to road traffic accidents are considered a major health problem. The main objective of our study is to determine, with the help of autopsies, the socio-demographic profile and the nature of the cranial injuries observed in fatal road traffic accidents. Materials and methods: In this study, we were interested in the cases of fatal traffic accidents, based on autopsy data, This is a retrospective study based from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. Results: The age group of young adults, those between 15 and 30 years old, stands out from the others with the others with the number of subjects that it gathers, constituting 36.6 % of the of the total number of deaths. As for the distribution of the subjects according to sex, our results showed a clear predominance of the predominance of the male sex, counting 108 cases, i.e. 74% of all deaths. We will explore the various injuries caused by fatal accidents. When we look at the anatomical site of fatal injuries, polytrauma and head trauma stand out, accounting for 50 cases (35% of the total). Representing 50 cases (35%) and 36 cases (25%) respectively. Conclusion: Head injury patients following a head traffic accident constitute a major health problem in Senegal. These head injuries are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality among young people. Better implementation of traffic prevention policies and respect for traffic rules and good roads would help reduce this threatening problem in our country.