Pedestrian accidents: adult and pediatric injuries.

An epidemologic review of 217 pedestrian injuries treated at a level one trauma center during a one-year period is presented. Injuries that occurred in pediatric age group patients were reviewed separately from adults. In both categories approximately 60% were admitted to the hospital. Hospital length of stay and severity of injuries was found to be much worse in adults. Seven percent of adults and 3% of children died after arrival at the hospital. The most common areas of injury in both groups were the head and the distal extremities. Nearly 25% of adults sustained tibia-fibular fractures. This study shows that the incidence of critical injuries in pedestrians is high, and adults sustain more severe injuries than children. We clarify types of injuries commonly seen in pedestrian trauma.