Lethal injuries among the members of the 4th Guardian Brigade of Croatian Army during the 1991-1995 war.

OBJECTIVE We analyzed the causes of deaths among the members of the 4th Guardian Brigade (GB) of the Croatian Army during the war in Croatia from 1991 to 1995: the site of the lethal injuries, the type of wounds, and estimated the severity of injuries with lethal outcome according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale. METHODS This was a retrospective study using the files and data obtained from 4th GB, Croatian Ministry of Defense, and Croatian Ministry of War Veterans. RESULTS During the War in Croatia from 1991 to 1995, 182 members of 4th GB were killed. One hundred fifteen (63.2%) suffered lethal injuries caused by shell fragments, 47 (25.8%) soldiers had gunshot wounds, and 20 ( 11.0%) died in traffic accidents. Mean Abbreviated Injury Scale for killed soldiers was 7.61 +/- 1.27. CONCLUSION During the war in Croatia, the leading causes of death were mines and explosions, and, in a minor proportion, gunshot wounds.