Citation

Osawa M, Horiuchi H, Yoshida K, Tada T, Harada A. Leg. Med. (Elsevier) 2003; 5(Suppl 1): S132-4.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan. mosawa@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Japanese Society of Legal Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12935571

Abstract

In this paper, we describe an autopsy case in which death was due to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning occurring in a stationary vehicle idling in an open space. To investigate the source of the fatal fumes, the death scene situation was reconstructed using the vehicle. Exhaust gases were found to invade the interior through the floor from a defective exhaust system. CO gas was detected while idling and the level in the cabin gradually rose to 1.5% over a 2-h period. Since the 8-year-old motor vehicle seemed to have been defective for some months, it was concluded that stationary idling overnight caused an accumulation of toxic gases in the interior.

Language: en