ICE-CREAM TRUCK-RELATED INJURIES TO CHILDREN

Few studies exist on the cause and nature of injuries to children from ice-err-am truck-related accidents. We reviewed the medical records o f 11 children with orthopedic injuries treated at Children's Hospital- San Diego from 1985 to 1995 for injuries in such accidents. Of nine ch ildren on their way to or from an ice-cream truck who were struck by a n oncoming vehicle, all were girls; eight had pelvic or lower-extremit y fractures. When ice-cream trucks park on the street, they pose a dan ger to children, because children are drawn to them, and the trucks' l arge size blocks the vision of oncoming drivers.