Profile of Road Traffic Crash Victims Managed at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu State, South East Nigeria

Road traffic crashes are a leading cause of injury-related mortality in Nigeria, and South East states including Enugu experience high crash frequencies on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and other major corridors. This study profiles road traffic crash victims presenting to the accident and emergency unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, over a three-year period from 2020 to 2022. A retrospective cross-sectional design is used, with data extracted from emergency unit registers and case files. Variables include age, sex, crash mechanism, anatomical injury pattern, injury severity score, time from injury to presentation, blood products administered, operative interventions, intensive care unit admission, and in-hospital mortality. SPSS is used for descriptive and inferential analysis. Available data from South East Nigeria trauma registries indicate that motorcyclists account for over 50 percent of crash victims, with head and chest injuries being the most frequently fatal patterns. The Injury Severity Score and the ABCDE trauma assessment framework guide classification. Findings will support the development of a trauma registry at the institution and inform advocacy for pre-hospital emergency care capacity building in Enugu State. Keywords: road traffic crash, trauma, injury severity, Enugu State, South East Nigeria.