Road Fatalities in Children Aged 0–17: Epidemiological Data and Forensic Aspects on a Series of Cases in a Single-Centre in Romania

Abstract

Introduction: Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) are the leading cause of premature death in young people aged 5–29. Globally, 186,300 children aged 9 years and under die from RTAs each year. Romania had the highest mortality rate in children aged 0 to 14 for 2018–2020. This study aimed to assess the involvement of children aged 0–17 years in fatal RTAs by analyzing medico-legal autopsy records in a 5-year period at Timisoara Institute of Legal Medicine (TILM), Romania. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of medico-legal autopsy records of road fatalities in children aged 0–17 years, from TILM in a 5-year period (2017–2021), was conducted. Results: Of all medico-legal autopsies in the 5-year period, 23 cases (5.8%) involved road fatalities in children aged 17 and under. Preschoolers accounted for 10 cases, followed by the age group 15–17 years (n = 9). Most children sustained fatal injuries as passengers (n = 13), followed by child pedestrians (n = 7). This research follows four representative cases, each being a different type of child road fatality regarding the type of road user, the age of the victim, and the involvement of other risk factors. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the tragedy of road fatalities in children and the need to determine risk factors and prevention strategies to reduce the enormous global crisis involving these vulnerable victims.