A survey of motor vehicle burn accidents in children: report of 45 cases.

The association of burns with motor vehicles was reviewed from the records of 1,532 children treated at the Galveston Shriners Burns Institute since 1966. Forty-five children were burned in or about a motor vehicle. The most common causes were gasoline spillage in moving vehicle accidents, and small children playing with matches unattended in a stationary vehicle. Motor vehicle burn patients had more serious and larger burns than in the general burn population. Of the 34 children burned within the confined space of a motor vehicle, 94% suffered face and/or hand burns. There was a high incidence of respiratory problems. In the moving motor-vehicle fire accident group there were 13 major injuries seen in 17 patients. Of the total motor vehicle occupancy in 38 separate accidents, 19 people died and 66 were hospitalized at the SBI or elsewhere.