Electric Scooter-Related Injuries: A New Epidemic in Orthopedics

Background: The use of electric scooters has increased considerably as they are an accessible means of transportation. The number of injuries from falls and collisions has risen significantly. Therefore, the aim of the study was to describe demographics injury patterns of electric scooter accidents produced over one year. Methods: A prospective observational study of electric scooter- related injuries presented in the emergency room from May 2019 until May 2020. The inclusion criteria was based on the direct cause of injury produced while an electric scooter was in use. Demographic data, the use of a helmet or the lack thereof, accident mechanism, injury time, type of injury produced, and the treatment applied were collected. Results: Over the study period, 397 patients were identified with a total of 422 injuries. The mean age was 30.8 years, with 12.6% of patients being minors. The patients mainly presented in evening hours and in summertime at the emergency department. Of the total injuries seen, 46.9% were fractures. Some 25% of the total cases required surgery. Only 19% of the riders wore a helmet at the time of the accident. Most of the fractures were to the upper limbs (62.6%). There was a greater incidence of radius fractures. Conclusion: Injuries incurred while using electric scooters are an emerging phenomenon, despite existing regulations. In this study, most injuries occurred in young men and were due to falls from the vehicle. Nearly half of those injuries were fractures to the upper limbs. Surprisingly, 50% of the fractures required surgery.

Competence of the expert in establishing causal relationships of the accident mechanism and actions of drivers

The article reveals the competence of an expert in establishing cause-effect relationships in a preliminary study of the mechanism of a road accident and the actions of vehicle drivers. The opinions of scientists for and against the conclusions of the expert on the cause-effect relationships, as well as the opinions of the author of this article are given.

USE OF ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT CRITERION FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY AGAINST RAILWAY WHEEL DERAILMENT FOR FORENSIC RAILWAY TRANSPORT EXAMINATION

A number of methods have been developed to determine the possibility of a wheelset derailment from track, which to some extent take into account specifics of their interaction. However, methods used in the calculation are different between themselves. The problem is complicated by the lack of sufficient experimental data which would allow to verify the adequacy of models used for calculations. Authors conducted research of an influence of an additional assessment criterion for traffic safety. According to this criterion the railway wheel derailment of a rolling stock was analyzed by actually raising the wheel flange to the railhead. It is noted that increase of the radius of wheels taken into account while calculating indicated criterion depends on transverse displacement of the wheelset, horizontal unevenness, numerical value of the wheel taper profile at the contact point with a rail, and the nominal gaps between the wheel flange and the inner edge of the railhead. On the basis of performed researches, it was concluded that use of an additional criterion, according to which the stability of the wheel from the derailment of a rolling stock is analyzed by actually raising the wheel flange on a railhead, allows to track the time when it is necessary to check the possibility of rolling the wheel on railhead. However, obtaining a negative clearance between the wheel flange and the railhead does not indicate that the wheel is rolling on the railhead. The indicated feature will allow to explore the development of a railway accident mechanism, to define more precisely its proximate technical cause and the sequence of intermediate technical reasons which have led to it.

Safety Assessment Model for Expressway Based on Accident Mechanism

It is of great significance to enhance freeway safety. This paper analyzed the factors affecting freeway safety systematically. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) were applied to develop a freeway safety evaluation model. This model has a practical application on evaluate freeway safety level.

Teeth in the brain: An unusual presentation of penetrating head injury

Penetrating injuries other than gunshot wounds or low-velocity wounds to the head are extremely rare. We report the case of a 19 year old male who sustained a penetrating craniocerebral trauma following a road traffic accident. Mechanism of injury seems to share characteristics of low velocity projectiles. We discuss the management of this unusual case reviewing the current literature on craniocerebral injuries caused by similar objects.