Undated -- A study published in the Journal of Surgery states that pedestrians hit by a motor vehicle are much more likely to die if they're uninsured or a member of a racial minority. It compared the number to whites or those who are insured and sustain similar injuries.
According to the study, minority pedestrians are far more likely than whites to be hit by a vehicle. Dr. Adil H. Haider, an assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and author of the study said, "It's a double whammy. Minorities are much more likely to get injured by this mechanism and much more likely to die by this mechanism."
Researchers gathered information from the National Trauma Data Bank of 26,404 people hit by vehicles between 2002 and 2006. The numbers were compared to white patients involved in similar crashes, the risk of death was significantly higher for minorities. Doctors concluded that chances were greater at 22 percent for blacks and 33 percent higher for Hispanics, although they were all treated in emergency rooms.
Uninsured pedestrian victims were 77 percent more likely to die than those with insurance. The higher death rates among the uninsured and minorities aren't due to greater rates of injury, the researchers stressed. Dr. Haider's comment on the research, "Do we treat minorities and the uninsured differently? I don't think so, but we've got to ask the question. We don't actually know what is leading to these disparities."
To read more on this study click here.
WFMY News 2/Healthday.com