Fatal injury surveillance report, Delaware, 1990. Head and spinal cord injuries.

The Delaware Disabilities Prevention Program is funded through a five-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant to prevent primary and secondary disabilities associated with mental retardation and low socioeconomic status; head and spinal cord injuries; and sickle cell disease. This report focuses on fatal head and spinal cord injuries. Death certificates and autopsy reports from 1990 were the data sources used for this study. In 1990, 122 fatal head injuries and 20 fatal spinal cord injuries occurred among Delaware residents. Eight of these individuals experienced both head and spinal cord injuries. Motor vehicle crashes caused the majority of both head and spinal cord deaths. Suicides, homicides, and falls were the other major causes of fatal head injuries. Deaths are only the tip of the injury iceberg. Head and spinal cord injuries can cause lifelong disabilities affecting family, friends, and the entire community.