Data on injuries sustained by child occupants in motor vehicles occurring in noncrash events are generally unrecorded. The occurrence of medically confirmed injuries sustained by child occupants in motor vehicles due to noncrash events was ascertained. Children (79) were seen in the emergency room for evaluation of injuries that they incurred as occupants in motor vehicle incidents. The majority of injuries occurred in crash events. However, 18 (23%) were injured in noncrash events. These events included sudden stops, swerves, turns and movement of an unrestrained child within the vehicle. The mechanism of injury was ejection from the vehicle or impact with an interior area of the vehicle. In 5 of the 18 cases, safety restraint use could not be established. Of the 13 cases in which information was obtained, child was not restrained. Although the injuries were predominately minor (Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS]1), 2 children sustained moderate injury (AIS 2) and 1 child sustained severe injury (AIS 3). These results need to be confirmed by a larger study and, if confirmed, the additional hazard of injury from noncrash events should be incorporated into health education messages that currently place primary emphasis on the potential for injury in crash events.