DENVER — One in four patients treated in an emergency department for firearm injuries had been treated in a prior visit for injuries caused by a motor vehicle crash or other violent incident, according to new research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition. The significant association between types of injuries could indicate a pattern of risky behaviors.
The authors of an abstract, "Associational Analysis for Pediatric Firearm Injury Risk," found that children and youth with firearm, non-firearm violent, and motor vehicle crash injuries visited a Midwest hospital system's emergency department on multiple occasions within a four-year period. They will present their findings during the AAP national conference at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30.
"As a pediatric emergency physician, I see firsthand how trauma doesn't happen in isolation," said Mike Levas, MD, senior author and pediatrics professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Medical Director of Project Ujima, Children's Wisconsin's hospital-based violence intervention program.
"Our study reveals a troubling pattern: nearly one in four children with firearm injuries return to the emergency room with another violent or crash-related injury within just four years. These aren't random events—they're interconnected."
Researchers analyzed records from 2,614 emergency department visits between 2018-2022, finding the type and severity of a child's repeat injuries were predictive of whether they'd return to the emergency department in the future with a firearm injury. The findings revealed a significant association between motor vehicle crashes and firearm injury, with motor vehicle crashes and violent injuries serving as predictors for subsequent firearm injury.
Maria Beyer, study author and community health evaluation manager, said that partnership between community, clinical, and scientific team members is essential to generate evidence-based insights, which are necessary to create meaningful, sustainable solutions.
"Our community health teams work closely with kids and families to understand their experiences, alongside clinical teams who have robust information at their fingertips through a patient's medical history and are repeatedly treating kids for these injuries," she said. "Together they share observations and compile evidence, setting the stage for the kind of statistical modeling we were able to achieve through this study."
The authors conclude their findings will help inform ways to prevent or intervene early to lessen future risks of injury or death.
The authors did not receive financial support for this research.
