Road Traffic Accidents in Port Harcourt, Rivers State: Pattern of Injuries That Caused Death, Risk Factors, Anatomical Sites Affected, and Autopsy Findings
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Road traffic accident (RTA) is one of the commonest causes of death among the healthy population and it’s among the leading cause of death due to human errors. Globally, it has contributed significantly to reducing the workforce as well as increasing the family expenditure on preventable health conditions. It is grossly underreported with no clear data on annual death reports, especially in most developing countries.
Objectives: To determine the rate of death from a head injury due to road traffic accidents, risk factors; the commonly injured anatomical regions and immediate cause of death from autopsy examination of victims.
Methods: This was a prospective longitudinal study in which 86 victims with CORONER FORM D were sampled recruited for the study. Primary data were obtained using the Crash Report Form (CRF) from the Federal Road Safety Corps, oral interviews from deceased relatives and security personnel who brought the victims, and subsequently, Coroner form D was used to obtain /record the findings of autopsy examination. Data was analysed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 25.0 (Armonk, NY).
Results: The rate of death from a head injury due to RTA in Port Harcourt was 48.84%. The mean age of victims examined at autopsy was 28.61 ± 9.22 with a modal age group of 20-29. Majority of the victims were males [52(65.82%)], passengers [36(42%)], had superficial autopsy [32(37.20%)], multiple injuries [40 (46.51%)]. The commonest cause of immediate fatality was head injury (48.8%) followed by haemorrhage and shock 31(36.1%). Over speeding was the most common human risk factor (50%), followed by sleep/fatigue (10%). The commonest mechanical and environmental risk factors identified were brake failure and burst tyres (8%), and potholes (6%) respectively.
Conclusion: The commonest cause of death among victims of RTA in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria is head injury. Over speeding, sleep/fatigue, brake failure and burst tyres and pot holes are the risk factors for RTA in Port Harcourt. Measures targeted at controlling these risk factors would help reduce morbidity and mortalities associated with RTA.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
I. Peden M, Krug E, Mohan D, Hyder A, Norton R, MacKay M, Dora C: A 5-year WHO strategy for road traffic injury prevention. Geneva: World Health Organization 2001.
II. Onyemaechi N, Ofoma U: The public health threat of road traffic accidents in Nigeria: A call to action. Annals of medical and health sciences research 2016, 6(4):199-204.
III. Organization WH: Global Road Safety Crisis: Report of the Secretary-General, United Nations General Assembly. WHO, Geneva (http://www who int/en: accessed on 15 March 2005) 2003.
IV. Hyder AA, Paichadze N, Toroyan T, Peden MM: Monitoring the decade of action for global road safety 2011–2020: an update. Global public health 2017, 12(12):1492-1505.
V. Organization WH: Global status report on road safety 2015: World Health Organization; 2015.
VI. Femi A: Road crashes trends and safety management in Nigeria. Journal of Geography and Regional Planning 2013, 6(3):53-62.
VII. Adeloye D: Prehospital trauma care systems: potential role toward reducing morbidities and mortalities from road traffic injuries in Nigeria. Prehospital and disaster medicine 2012, 27(6):536-542.
VIII. Stewart K-AA, Groen RS, Kamara TB, Farahzad MM, Samai M, Cassidy LD, Kushner AL, Wren SM: Traumatic injuries in developing countries: report from a nationwide cross-sectional survey of Sierra Leone. JAMA surgery 2013, 148(5):463-469.
IX. Stewart K-AA, Groen RS, Kamara TB, Farahzad MM, Samai M, Cassidy LD, Kushner AL, Wren SM: Traumatic Injuries in Developing Countries. Surgical Need & Capacity:37.
X. Asibey A: The Effects of Road Traffic Accidents on Economic Activities in Ghana: A Case Study of the Techiman Township. Ghana: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology 2011.
XI. Asogwa S: Road traffic accidents: a major public health problem in Nigeria. Public Health 1978, 92(5):237-245.
XII. Odero W, Garner P, Zwi A: Road traffic injuries in developing countries: a comprehensive review of epidemiological studies. Tropical Medicine & International Health 1997, 2(5):445-460.
XIII. Bekibele CO, Fawole OI, Bamgboye AE, Adekunle LV, Ajav R, Baiyeroju AM: Risk factors for road traffic accidents among drivers of public institutions in Ibadan, Nigeria. African Journal of Health Sciences 2007, 14(3):137-142.
XIV. Honnungar RS, Aramani SC, Kumar A, Kumar T, Jirli PS: An epidemiological survey of fatal road traffic accidents and their relationship with head injuries. Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine 2011, 33(2):135-137.
XV. Juillard C, Labinjo M, Kobusingye O, Hyder AA: Socioeconomic impact of road traffic injuries in West Africa: exploratory data from Nigeria. Injury prevention 2010, 16(6):389-392.
XVI. Silas O, Adoga A, Isichei C, Echejoh G, Manasseh M, Olu-Silas R: Road traffic accident deaths as seen in a Tertiary Health Centre Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos, Northcentral, Nigeria. 2011.
XVII. van Schoor O, van Niekerk JL, Grobbelaar B: Mechanical failures as a contributing cause to motor vehicle accidents—South Africa. Accident Analysis & Prevention 2001, 33(6):713-721.
XVIII. Ngallaba SE, Makerere DJ, Kapesa A, Gilyoma J, Chalya P: A Retrospective Study on the Unseen Epidemic of Road Traffic Injuries and Deaths Due to Accidents in Mwanza City—Tanzania. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 2014, 2014.
XIX. Seleye-Fubara B, Etebu E: Pathology of Deaths from Severe Head Injuries in River State: A study of Sixty Eight Consecutive Cases in Five Years. Nigerian journal of medicine 2011, 20(4):470-474.
XX. Abubakar I, Tillmann T, Banerjee A: Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet 2015, 385(9963):117-171.
XXI. Al-Hasani G, Asaduzzaman M, Soliman A-H: Comparison of spatial regression models with Road Traffic Accidents Data. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Statistics: Theory and Applications (ICSTA'19): 2019: ICSTA; 2019.
XXII. Amedorme SK, Nsoh SN: Analyzing the causes of road traffic accidents in Kumasi metropolis. Int J Eng Innov Res 2014, 3:895-899.
XXIII. Odero W: Alcohol-related road traffic injuries in Eldoret, Kenya. East African Medical Journal 1998, 75(12):708-711.
XXIV. Loo BP: Unsustainable transport and transition in China: Routledge; 2018.
XXV. Fountas G, Sun Y-Y, Akizu-Gardoki O, Pomponi F: How do people move around? National data on transport modal shares for 131 countries. World 2020, 1(1):34-43.
XXVI. Adeoye PO, Kadri DM, Bello JO, Ofoegbu CKP, Abdur-Rahman LO, Adekanye AO, Solagberu BA: Host, vehicular and environmental factors responsible for road traffic crashes in a Nigerian city: identifiable issues for road traffic injury control. The Pan African Medical Journal 2014, 19.
XXVII. Olaofe OO, Odesanmi WO, Adelusola KA, Komolafe AO, Sabageh D: An autopsy review of abdominal injuries resulting from road traffic accidents: The Ile-Ife experience. Sahel Medical Journal 2017, 20(4):187.
XXVIII. Oyosoro FI, Okene NV: Insecurity in Akwa Ibom State: Issues, Actors and Solutions. Insecurity in the Niger Delta 2021:23.
XXIX. Chaturvedi R, Mishra A, Chaturvedi P: Pattern of head injuries in fatal road traffic accidents in Indore Region, MP. Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences 2014, 3(21):5645-5652.
XXX. Umar H, Ahidjo A, Dogo H: Pedestrian injuries resulting from road traffic accidents: the Azare experience. Nigerian journal of medicine 2007, 16(2):169-172.
XXXI. Kalra R, Arya AK: Pattern and Distribution of Injuries in Fatal Road Traffic Accident Cases in District Barabanki of Uttar Pradesh, India. Journal of Advanced Medical and Dental Sciences Research 2019, 7(4):48-58.
XXXII. Aggarwal K, Oberoi S, Kumar R, Sharma M: Pattern and distribution of injuries in fatal road traffic accident cases. 2009.
XXXIII. Mizia K, Bennett MJ, Dudley J, Morrisey J: Müllerian dysgenesis: a review of recent outcomes at Royal Hospital for Women. Australian and New Zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology 2006, 46(1):29-31.