Injuries to Cargo Area Passengers of Heavy Goods Vehicles

This article reports on a case series study of passengers injured when transported in the cargo area of heavy goods vehicles. The authors note that this mode of transportation is a common practice in Singapore. The case series features 34 male casualties (mean age 29.7 years) who were treated at the Emergency Department from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2007. They were injured in four separate heavy goods vehicle crashes during the study period. Patients who were nonresident manual laborers comprised 94.1% of the injured. Fifteen patients (44.1%) were ejected from the vehicle but despite this, the mean Injury Severity Score was 2.2 (SD 3.5). Three of the patients were admitted to hospital, with one patient (Injury Severity Score 22) requiring surgery and an intensive care stay. The remaining patients were discharged from the Emergency Department, and there were no deaths. Six patients returned to the Emergency Department for unresolved pain from their injuries. A total of 173 absent-days were incurred. The authors conclude that cargo area passengers are at high risk of ejection, and they incur significant morbidity from their injuries with subsequent loss of productivity. In addition, heavy goods vehicle crashes are usually mass casualty events, severely taxing the receiving Emergency Department. They call for safer alternatives for the mass transport of manual laborers.

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• Authors:
  • Heng, Wei Quan
  • Vasu, Alicia
  • Heng, Kenneth Wei Jian
• Publication Date: 2009-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 333-33512
• Serial:
  • European Journal of Emergency Medicine
  • Volume: 16
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
  • ISSN: 0969-9546

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cargo compartments; Commuting; Crash injuries; Ejection; Injury severity; Labor productivity; Laborers; Passengers; Risk assessment; Seat belts; Traffic crashes; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Unrestrained passengers
• Subject Areas: Highways; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01148134
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 25 2010 8:07AM