Pediatric injuries in Central Texas.

In Texas, more children aged from 1 through 14 years die from injury-related causes than from the next 9 causes of death combined. Injuries to children hospitalized in Central Texas during 2003 and 2004 were caused predominantly by falls and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) and resulted in a large number of fractures and open wounds. Fifty-six Central Texas children died in 2003 and 2004 after reaching the hospital, out of a total of 175 children killed in injury-related events during this period. Most injury-related deaths were due to a traumatic brain injury. Most of the children suffering injury in MVCs were not restrained at the time of the accident. Injury data are invaluable to injury prevention efforts. These data were gathered from the Public Use Data File maintained by the Injury and EMS/Trauma Registry Group at the Department of State Health Services; limitations of the data set are discussed, and implications for injury prevention are highlighted.