Title

A Retrospective Study of Road Traffic Accident Cases Brought For Medico-Legal Autopsy at a Tertiary Care Hospital In Meghalaya.

Authors

Reshma Talukdar, Amarantha Donna Ropmay, Daunipaia Slong, Amar Jyoti Patowary

Abstract

Introduction: India tops the global list of deaths due to Road Traffic Accidents (RTA). Meghalaya, in the north-eastern part of the country, has its own unique climate and geographical landscape. The present study is important in this area because the rugged terrain and unpredictable weather conditions are safety concerns for driving. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective observational study utilising data from hospital records to include all the cases of RTA from Jan 2017- Dec 2021 that were subjected to medico-legal autopsy at the institute mortuary (consecutive sampling). Data were entered in MS Excel sheet and analysed using SPSS Version 21 by descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 114 cases were included in the analysis. The commonest vehicle involved was the two-wheeler. Most victims belonged to the age group 21-40 years, involving males in 84% of cases. Head injury was the most common cause of death. In 45% of cases, accidents occurred during winter season. 32.46% of accidents took place at night. Discussion: Road Traffic Accidents lead to unwanted and untimely death. This study generates valuable data regarding fatal injuries and specific factors responsible for RTA in our region which would aid administrators in formulating road traffic policies and introducing preventive measures to reduce their occurrence.

Keywords

Road traffic accidents, Two-wheelers, Head Injury, Fatal injuries.