This article presents a prospective study of 285 adult trauma victims admitted to a Los Angeles inner-city level 1 trauma center, from November 1991 to February 1992. The purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of intentional and unintentional trauma injuries in this adult patient population, and to identify sociodemographic, lifestyle and medical risk factors predisposing patients to intentional vs. unintentional trauma injury. Chi-square analysis revealed that intentional trauma victims and unintentional trauma victims significantly differ in 8 of 13 risk factors. The resulting risk profile indicated that intentional trauma victims were more likely to be between the ages of 16-29 years old; African American males and more likely to present to the emergency room with injury severity scores higher than 15 (indicating severe injuries) than unintentional trauma victims. Strategies for prevention and medical social work intervention are discussed.