Cost of orthopedic injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents
T. Bray, R. Szabo, L. Timmerman, L. Yen and M. Madison
Fifty-one serial admissions to the orthopedic services at the University of
California, Davis, Medical Center, Sacramento, for motorcycle accident
trauma with open fractures were reviewed. Fifty-five percent of those
tested were alcohol intoxicated at the time of admission. Seventy-five
percent carried no insurance of any kind, and for the total group, 72% of
the cost of acute hospitalization (+17,704 per patient) was paid by the
state of California, with an additional 10% paid by other tax-based
sources. Care of motorcycle trauma consumes a substantial portion of public
health care funds in California. This could be reduced by legislative
action concerning helmet use, licensing, and rigid enforcement of
compulsory insurance.
