Citation

Lin PT, Blessing MM. Forensic Sci. Med. Pathol. 2018; 14(4): 509-514.

Affiliation

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Ave SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12024-018-0014-7

PMID

30311068

Abstract

Using forensic autopsy-based data from a regional medical examiner office in the midwestern U.S. with a mixed small urban-rural population, we describe the characteristics of all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related deaths occurring between 2000 and 2018. During this period, there were 25 ATV-related deaths. There was a strong male predominance with 22 male and 3 female decedents. The average age at death was 35 years, with a range from 10 to 82 years, and a bimodal age distribution with one peak at 10-19 years old, and a second peak at 60-69 years old. The most common cause of death was blunt trauma (n = 22), with the remainder being torso compression (n = 1), drowning (n = 1) and hypothermia (n = 1). Of the 22 blunt trauma deaths, 15 were due to head trauma. The most common mechanism of accident was roll-over (n = 11), followed by striking a stationary object (n = 6). Of the stationary objects struck, the most common was cable wire fencing accounting for 3 of the 6. A survival period following discovery of the body was present in 11 of the 25 deaths. Postmortem toxicology was positive for ethanol in 7 deaths and tramadol in 1 death.

Language: en

Keywords

ATV; All-terrain vehicle; Autopsy; Death; Forensic; Off-road