St. Francis Hospital (Tulsa, OK) ATV Injury Study,
March 2003 - July 2005

Circumstances of the Crash

• Nearly all ATV crash patients treated at St. Francis, a trauma center, were riding 4-wheelers.
• 34 percent of those injured were riding on a farm.
• 25 percent of those injured were riding on a roadway.
• 20 percent of those injured were wearing a helmet.
• 4 percent of those injured were using alcohol.

 

Rollovers

• 63 percent were involved in ATV rollover. Of that group, 53 percent of the injured in a rollover accident were riding on flat, uneven terrain; 31 percent of those hurt were riding uphill; 15 percent of those injured were riding downhill, and 1 percent rolled over while jumping with the vehicle.
• ATVs landed on 44 percent of patients in rollovers.
• Adults are more likely to be injured in rollover accidents than children.

 

Types of injuries

• 48 percent of those injuries involved head/brain injuries (46 percent of the head/brain injuries involved children under 18).
• 47 percent of those injured suffered orthopedic injuries.
• 21 percent of the injuries were to the torso.
• 9 percent suffered facial fractures
• 1 percent of the injuries were spinal injuries.

 

Helmets

• Head injuries are the leading cause of ATV deaths.
• Helmets reduce deaths by 42 percent.
• Helmets reduce nonfatal head injuries by 64 percent.

 

 

* Source: St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa