Citation

Mohanty MK, Panigrahi MK, Mohanty S, Patnaik KK. Med. Sci. Law 2007; 47(2): 156-160.

Affiliation

Dept. of Forensic Medicine, Dr Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences, Chinoutpalli, Gannavaram Mandal, Krishna Dist - 521286, Andhra Pradesh, India. manmohanty@yahoo.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, British Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17520961

Abstract

This study was carried out on 88 railway related deaths in order to determine the specific pattern and distribution of wounds. Of the 88 victims, 79.5% were males and 20.5% were females. The majority were in the age group of 21-40 years. Most of the victims died as the result of an accident (80.7%). Of the 17 suicide cases, ten deaths occurred during the night. In 71 railway accident deaths, 64.8% of victims were pedestrians; thirty-five victims were illiterate and two had consumed alcohol. Decapitation wounds were more common in suicidal deaths and the head was the body region most commonly involved in railway accidents. Our results indicate that railway related deaths could be prevented by surveillance, education and public awareness.

Language: en