Summary
The University of Alberta Injury Analysis Team (IAT) is the first agency in the province of Alberta collaborating with police to investigate mechanisms of motor vehicle collision injuries. Considering the burden of the injury problem in this province, an agency of this sort, collaborating with police, emergency medical services, trauma physicians, medical examiners, and injury epidemiologists, is an important step in contributing to the knowledge of injury biomechanisms and to design injury prevention strategies. This pilot study is intended to document the biomechanics of injury in 23 serious car crashes in the City of Edmonton and to act as a model for other communities to develop generic injury analysis teams that investigate mechanics of injury. The ultimate goal of investigating injury biomechanics is to devise injury prevention strategies in order to reduce the burden of this disease.