title: Characteristics of injuries caused by paragliding accidents: A cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was undertaken to analyze the characteristics and risk factors relating to fatalities and injuries caused by paragliding.
  
  
  METHODS
  The judicial examination reports and hospital documents of 82 patients traumatized in 64 accidents during 242 355 paragliding jumps between August 2004 and September 2011 were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In these accidents, 18 of the 82 patients lost their lives. In the patients with a confirmed cause of accident, most of them were involved with multiple fractures and internal organ injuries (n=8, 44.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We investigated the incidence of paragliding injuries, the types of the injuries, and the severity of affected anatomical regions. The findings are significant for the prevention of paragliding injuries and future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University School of Medicine, Mugla, Turkey.
authors.forename: Umut
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Canbek
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University School of Medicine, Mugla, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: İmerci
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University School of Medicine, Mugla, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ulaş
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Akgün
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yeşil
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Atatürk University School of Medicine, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University School of Medicine, Mugla, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Balci
keywords: Injuries; Paragliding accidents; Turkey