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עמוד בית
Tue, 12.11.24

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

IMAJ | volume 24

Journal 9, September 2022
pages: 579-583

Patterns in vehicle-ramming attacks

1Trauma and Combat Medicine Branch, Surgeon General's Headquarters, Israel Defense Forces, Ramat Gan, Israel Departments of 2Internal Medicine B and 3Surgery and Transplantation B, and 4Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel 5Hospital Management, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel 6Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel 7Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel 8Department of Plastic Surgery, Shamir Medical Center, Zriffin, Israel

Summary

Background:

Vehicle-ramming attacks have become a common tactic for terror organizations worldwide. However, the medical implications of vehicle-ramming attacks remain unknown.

Objectives:

To investigate the characteristics of vehicle-ramming attack incidents and casualties in order to assist in guiding the policy of medical organizations. 

Methods:

In this study we included all vehicle-ramming attacks recorded in the Israel Defense Forces-Trauma Registry between 2015 and 2019. Records were screened using text mining of incident, casualty, and injury descriptions. The selected records were examined manually to ensure that they were vehicle-ramming attacks. Incident and casualty data were retrieved from the trauma registry.

Results:

During the years 2015–2019, a total of 36 vehicle-ramming attacks with 113 casualties were documented in the trauma registry. The median number of casualties, urgent casualties, and fatalities per incident was 3 (interquartile range [IQR] 2–5), 1 (IQR 1–2), and 1 (IQR 1–1), respectively. Of the incidents, 15 (42%) had three or more casualties. The most prevelant day of the week was Friday with 9 incidents (25%). Within the day, 21 incidents (58%) occurred between the hours of 12:00 and 18:00. Commonly injured body regions were lower extremities (55%), head (28%), and upper extremities. Ten victims (9%) died before arriving at a hospital.

Conclusions:

Vehicle-ramming attacks tend to have multiple casualties, be deadly, occur more often on Fridays and in the afternoon, and result mostly in injuries to the extremities and the head. These findings could guide policymaking to improve medical response to vehicle-ramming attacks.

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