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Injuries associated with... SCHOOL BUSES
Entire CHIRPP database, as of May 1995, under 20 years of age
SUMMARY (356 records)
Injuries associated with school buses were most common (48.3%) among children 10 to 14 years of age and 55.9% of these injuries were sustained by boys. These injuries occurred most often in the fall (37.1%), on weekdays and between the hours of noon and 4 p.m. Patients were injured most frequently (17.7%) while entering or leaving the bus. The most common type of injuries was abrasion/bruising/inflammation (40.9%) and (37.2%) of injuries were to the head. Injuries requiring advice only or minor treatment accounted for 64.3% of patients, 30.0% of patients needed medical follow-up after leaving the emergency department, 5.3% were admitted to hospital and one patient suffered fatal injuries.
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE SEARCH
A May 1995 search of the entire CHIRPP database (423,663 records) was conducted. The age restriction was 19 years of age or younger. Records were selected if the text fields contained the following strings "SCHOOL BUS," "AUTOBUS SCOLAIRE" or "AUTOBUS D'ECOLE." Selected records were then scanned and eliminated if the reference to a school bus was incidental to the injury. Injuries to children who had just disembarked from or were about to get on a school bus and were struck by another vehicle were included. Injuries to children waiting for a school bus were not included. The total number of records identified was 356.
OVERALL OCCURRENCE
The proportion of records in the entire CHIRPP database accounted for by injuries associated with school buses was 0.10%, with little variation from year to year.
AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION OF INJURED PERSONS
NUMBER PERCENT OF % MALE*
INJURIES
0-4 years 20 5.6 65.0
5-9 years 132 37.1 56.8
10-14 years 172 48.3 55.8
15-19 years 32 9.0 46.9
Total 356 100.0 55.9
* Of all injuries to people younger than 20 years of age in the
CHIRPP database, 59.1% are to males.
SEASON DURING WHICH INJURY OCCURRED
NUMBER PERCENT OF
INJURIES
Fall (Sept.-Nov.) 132 37.1
Spring (March-May) 90 25.3
Winter (Dec.-Feb.) 87 24.4
Summer (June-August) 47 13.2
Total 356 100.0
TIME AT WHICH INJURY OCCURRED
Midnight to 8 a.m. 10 2.8
8 a.m. to Noon 68 19.1
Noon to 4 p.m. 135 37.9
4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 66 18.5
8 p.m. to Midnight 28 7.9
Unknown 49 13.8
Total 356 100.0
HOW THE INJURY OCCURRED
The following is a list of frequently occurring circumstances and factors in school bus injuries. Each case has been assigned to only one category and percentages are based on 356 persons injured. Category assignment is based on the level of detail available in the description of the injury.
NUMBER PERCENT OF
INJURIES
Injured while entering or exiting the bus 63 17.7
Bus involved in motor vehicle accident 54 15.2
Horseplay or inappropriate activity 44 12.4
(victim or participant)
Hurt while fighting (victim or participant) 40 11.2
Other passenger fell on/bumped into patient 29 8.1
Bus stopped, braked,turned (sudden movement) 24 6.7
Hit/run over by a school bus 17 4.8
Hit against window or seat 14 3.9
Injured while walking or standing on bus 13 3.7
Caught finger or hand in window or other 11 3.1
fitting
Hit by object thrown or swung by other 9 2.5
Hit by vehicle other than the school bus 8 2.2
(incl. bicycle)
Bus door closed on 7 2.0
Other 14 3.9
Unspecified 9 2.5
Total 356 100.0
NATURE OF INJURY AND BODY PART INJURED
NUMBER PERCENT OF
INJURIES
Abrasion, bruising or inflammation 153 40.9
-arm, hand or finger 51
-head or neck 50
-leg or foot 27
-trunk 23
-internal organ 2
Sprain 78 20.9
-head or neck 27
-leg or foot 26
-arm, hand or finger 17
-trunk 8
Cut, laceration or puncture 50 13.4
-head or neck 32
-arm, hand or finger 12
-leg or foot 6
Fracture 49 13.1
-arm, hand or finger 31
-leg or foot 7
-trunk 6
-head or neck 5
Concussion 13 3.5
Dislocation, subluxation 9 2.4
-arm, hand or finger 5
-leg or foot 4
Minor head injury 5 1.3
Multiple system trauma 4 1.1
Haemorrhage 3 0.8
-eye 1
-arm 1
-abdomen 1
Crushing injury 3 0.8
-skull 1
-face 1
-finger 1
Bite 2 0.5
-arm 1
-trunk 1
Dental injury 2 0.5
Brain injury 2 0.5
Asphyxiation 1 0.3
Total 374 100.0
* Up to three injuries may be specified for each record.
Forty patients (11.2%) sustained more than one injury.
TREATMENT PROVIDED
NUMBER PERCENT OF
INJURIES
Left without being seen 0 0.0
Advice only, or treatment with no
need for follow-up 229 64.3
Treated, follow-up required 107 30.0
Admitted to hospital 19 *5.3
Fatal injury 1 0.3
Total 356 100.0
* The percentage of injuries to people younger than 20 years of age
in the CHIRPP database that resulted in hospital admission is 6.0%.
** Fatalities counted by CHIRPP include only those patients who
were dead on arrival at the emergency department or who died in
the emergency department. They do not include people who died
before they could be taken to hospital or those who died after
hospital admission.
PROFILE OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL AND FATALITIES
Of the 19 patients admitted to hospital, 12 were males; 11 were children (5-9 years), 5 were older children (10-14 years) and 3 were adolescents (15-19 years). Six patients suffered concussions, 5 patients sustained fractures (2 pelvis, 1 skull, 1 tibia or fibula, 3 patients suffered multiple system trauma, 1 face or forehead), one patient suffered a brain injury, one patient had an inflammation of the lower back, one patient suffered a sprain of the neck, one patient had a hemorrhage of the eye and another suffered asphyxiation. A total of 9 patients were injured when they were struck by a school bus. Two patients were struck by cars after getting off the school bus. Two patients were passengers in school buses involved in a motor vehicle crash. Two patients were injured when on school buses when they were jumped on or pushed by other children on the bus. Two patients were injured when they fell (1 on the floor, 1 against a seat) when the school bus made a sudden movement. One patient was shot in the eye by a BB gun while on a school bus and one patient aspirated a piece of carrot he was eating. One patient, a boy 6 years of age, suffered a fatal brain injury when he fell under the wheel of a school bus while running to catch the bus.
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