Retrospective analysis of nonfatal skeletal injuries sustained in road incidents involving electric scooters

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although scooters were officially recognized as vehicles in the Russian Federation not so long ago, the incidence of scooter injuries has been growing for several years.

AIM: To analyze epidemiological data and the nature of injuries in victims of nonfatal electric scooter incidents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 78 medical records of persons injured in road incidents involving electric scooters who were treated in the trauma department of the Regional Hospital No. 4 of Adler between 2020 and 2021. The nature of the injury by sex, age, seasonality, time of day, and characteristics of damage depending on the category of road users (driver and pedestrian) were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS: Of the 78 road incidents involving electric scooters, 28 occurred in 2020 and 50 in 2021. The sex distribution was nearly the same, with ≥40 men and 38 women, and their median age was 36 (30–45.8) years. Most of the accidents (n=52) occurred in summer and autumn months. The exact time of injury was known in 35 cases (17‰ in the daytime, 18‰ in the evening. Depending on the circumstances, all accidents were divided into falls from electric scooters (n=73), collisions of moving scooters with pedestrians (n=3), and collisions of moving scooters with a moving car (n=2). Of the 73 patients who sustained fractures, 67 had a closed type. Intra-articular fractures were detected in 41 victims. Lowe-limb fractures (n=43) prevailed over fractures of other localizations. In addition, 18 cases of knee injuries and 14 cases of trauma to the proximal tibial epiphysis were recorded.

CONCLUSION: The incidence of scooter injury is increasing. In the warm regions of the Russian Federation, such accidents have a year-round prevalence with predominance in the summer months owing to the large influx of vacationers. More often than other incidents, falls from electric scooters are noted, resulting in lower limb injuries, including with intra-articular fractures of the condyles of the tibia.

About the authors

Maxim S. Siedin

Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute named after M.F. Vladimirsky; Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination

Author for correspondence.
Email: dablV1@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4724-4008
SPIN-code: 9483-6751
Russian Federation, Moscow; Kursk

Semyon S. Plis

Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute named after M.F. Vladimirsky; Institute of Forensic Medicine and Pathology LLC

Email: SSPlis.work@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0232-0425
SPIN-code: 4347-1925
Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

Vladimir A. Klevno

Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute named after M.F. Vladimirsky

Email: dablV1@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5693-4054
SPIN-code: 2015-6548

MD, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor

Russian Federation, Moscow

Aleksandr V. Maksimov

Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute named after M.F. Vladimirsky; State University of Education

Email: mcsim2002@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1936-4448
SPIN-code: 3134-8457

MD, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor

Russian Federation, Moscow; Mytishi

Alexander A. Plashchinskiy

Regional Hospital No. 4

Email: pla-alex@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9992-1867
SPIN-code: 5722-7014

MD, Cand. Sci. (Med.)

Russian Federation, Sochi

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2. Fig. 1. Trauma vulnerability of body parts of an electric scooter driver in a scooter injury.

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3. Fig. 2. Prevalence of fractures and their localisation in accidents involving electric scooters.

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4. Fig. 3. Computed tomography of the knee joint performed to the victim after falling from an electric scooter: а ― arrows indicate the location of a multi-split fracture of the condyle of the tibia; b (3d-reconstruction) ― arrows indicate the location of the flap fracture at the level of the plateau (condyle) of the tibia.

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5. Fig. 4. Radiography of the bones of the right shin (in lateral projection) in the victim in a collision of an electric scooter with a moving car. The arrow shows a characteristic triangular fragment.

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