Citation

Pawellek D, Tsokos M, Gapert R, Pawellek S, Hartwig S. Rechtsmedizin 2013; 23(5): 391-396.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00194-013-0906-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Autopsies conducted at the university Institutes of Legal Medicine in Berlin, Germany in the time period from 1997 to 2012 were retrospectively analyzed for the frequency and phenomenology of fatal infant and juvenile cases of falls from low and great heights and compared with previous studies. The 16,211 autopsy protocols analyzed included 22 cases of fatal infant and juvenile (age between 0 and 17 years) falls from a great height. The average age of the deceased was 4.9 years with a median age of 25.5 months and 68 % of the victims were male. In 77 % of cases death was caused by accidental falls while 3 cases were due to suicide, 1 case was due to neonaticide and 1 other case was due to a psychiatric disorder. The main cause of death was traumatic brain and cranial injuries (59 %) followed by multiple trauma (32 %). The most common injuries involved the skull. The distance of fall varied between 7 and 34 m with an average height of 13 m. In cases of multiple trauma the average height of fall was 18 m. In small children skeletal injuries of the extremities were less common. Climbing or stepping aids used to overcome vertical barriers played a significant role in 75 % of accidental falls of infants aged between 2 and 4 years. The accidental falls occurred mainly around noon or the early evening during the spring and summer months. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Language: de

Keywords

adolescent; Prevention; human; Autopsy; child; Germany; autopsy; traumatic brain injury; cause of death; article; retrospective study; falling; fatality; infant mortality; clinical protocol; Wounds and injuries; multiple trauma; skull injury; climbing; Age distribution; Sex distribution