The characteristics of all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related deaths: A forensic autopsy data-based study

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 death...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forensic science, medicine, and pathology medicine, and pathology, 2018-12, Vol.14 (4), p.509-514
Main Authors: Lin, Peter T., Blessing, Melissa M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents - mortality
Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
All terrain vehicles
Analgesics, Opioid - blood
Central Nervous System Depressants - blood
Child
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Ethanol - blood
Female
Forensic Medicine
Head injuries
Head Protective Devices - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Hypothermia
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Midwestern United States - epidemiology
Off-Road Motor Vehicles - statistics & numerical data
Original Article
Pathology
Sex Distribution
Tramadol - blood
Wounds and Injuries - mortality
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:1547-769X
1556-2891
DOI:10.1007/s12024-018-0014-7