title: Air bag-related fatality in a short, forward-positioned driver.
abstract: Air bag-related fatalities are rare. We report the case of a 17-year-old girl-4 feet, 11 inches tall-who sustained a fatal basilar skull fracture when her vehicle's air bag deployed during a lowspeed motor vehicle accident. This case emphasizes the need for seat belt use in air bag-equipped vehicles. Further study is needed to clarify the increased risk to shorter individuals and to those who drive with the seat in the far-forward position.
authors.affiliation: Providence Yakima Medical Center, Washington, USA. jperezmd@aol.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Palmatier
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D017278:Air Bags / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality*