[Fatal injury in childhood. Analysis of 160 autopsies]

During the period from 1971 to 1987 160 deadly injured children were dissected at the Institute of forensic medicine in Hamburg-Eppendorf. 72.5% of the children died after a traffic accident. Injuries of the head as cause of death is the most detected reason. 62% of the children died because of a head injury, 13% in consequence of bleeding and 10.8% because of contusion of the medulla oblongata by injuries of the upper vertebral column. The majority of the children died by injuries of only one cavity (42%). It is conspicuous that the portion of infants (none to three years) is greater than we expected.