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Get Off the Bus: Sound Strategy for Injury Prevention During a Tornado?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

R. Dawn Comstock  and
Sue Mallonee
R. Dawn Comstock*
Affiliation:
Center for Injury Research and Policy, Columbus Children's Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Sue Mallonee
Affiliation:
Injury Prevention Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
*
Center for Injury Research and Policy, Columbus Children's Research InstituteThe Ohio State UniversityCollege of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Pediatrics700 Children's DriveColumbus, Ohio 43205USA E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Introduction:

On 08 May 2003, a tornado categorized as an F-3 on the Fujita Tornado Scale (the “F Scale”) struck an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma commuter bus carrying 24 passengers. The driver evacuated several passengers before the tornado struck. The tornado rolled the bus, and pelted it with debris.

Methods:

A case-series investigation of tornado-related injuries was conducted among passengers who were evacuated to a ditch and those who remained on the bus when the tornado struck.

Results:

Nineteen of 24 passengers sought care for injuries at hospital emergency departments (injury rate= 79.2%).While a greater number of passengers who were outside the bus when the tornado struck (11) sought care for injuries than did those who remained on the bus (8); passengers outside of the bus suffered fewer injuries than did those who remained on the bus (median number of injuries 3 versus 4), and their injuries were lesssevere (median injury severity score (ISS) 1 versus 4).

Conclusion:

For persons caught in motor vehicles during tornado events, this study supports currently accepted recommendations to immediately evacuate and lie in a low-lying area away from motor vehicles if other shelter is unavailable. However, generalizing the experience of bus passengers to automobile drivers might be inappropriate because buses lack the safety features that might protect automobile drivers from tornado-related injuries.

Keywords

buscase-series reportemergency departmentepidemiologyinjuryinjury severity score (ISS)motor vehiclepreventiontornado
Type
Brief Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , June 2005 , pp. 189 - 192
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2005

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