Causes and circumstances of fatal falls downstairs

A retrospective study of the injury patterns seen in fatal falls downstairs

INTRODUCTION

Fatal falls involving stairs are often associated with advanced age, intoxication, acute natural pathology and less commonly - the involvement of a third-party. The injury patterns seen in these cases are often complex and from a medico-legal standpoint, determining third-party involvement based on pathology alone can prove a significant challenge. Classifying the manner of death in such cases, can become particularly complex when the injury pattern appears inconsistent with a simple fall downstairs, or there is an absence of eye-witness testimony.

AIM

To explore the circumstances and injury patterns seen in cases of fatal falls downstairs which were classified as accidental vs. undetermined by the coroners.

STUDY DESIGN

This retrospective study explored the injury patterns present in all cases of fatal falls downstairs referred to the Office of the State Pathologist (OSP) over a 10-year-period (2012-2022) (n = 51).

RESULTS

Fatal falls downstairs which were classified as undetermined were found to have a greater number of craniofacial fractures, spinal fractures and intracranial injuries when compared to accidental falls. Undetermined staircase deaths also displayed more significant fracturing involving the facial skeleton.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, where there is a question of third-party involvement, the Post-Mortem Examination (PME) findings alone cannot determine the manner of death. The pathologist's examination may identify injuries that are inconsistent with a simple fall downstairs, but it is the coroner who must conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the fatal fall and ultimately determine the classification of the death.

Investigation of injuries sustained from falls down stairs

Interpretation of injuries sustained from fatal falls involving stairs is a challenge encountered by death investigation teams regularly. The high incidence of this occurrence is because stairs are a common entity in society. Without a medical evaluation of an individual's injuries, it is difficult to determine whether a fall from stairs contributed to how the individual died. The purpose of this study is to characterize the injuries of individuals that were sustained from a confirmed fatal fall involving stairs within our jurisdiction (Ontario, Canada) during 2014-2020. In a retrospective cross-sectional observation study, we examined 159 cases using both postmortem imaging and routine autopsy approaches. Our findings showed the head was the most common anatomical region injured. The most common injuries observed in the head included skull fracture(s) (most commonly the temporal, parietal and occipital bones), subarachnoid hemorrhages, and brain contusions. Anatomical regions less commonly injured included the extremities, thorax, and pelvis. This study identified an association between the presence of intracranial hemorrhage and those 65-years-old and younger; brain injury in the absence of pre-existing medical conditions; and brain injury for individuals that had a blood alcohol concentration between 0 and 80mg/100 mL. Extracranial skeletal trauma, as defined by skeletal trauma apart from the head region, was observed in 62% of cases. Extracranial skeletal trauma was also found to be strongly associated with individuals over 65-years-old. Overall, our study affirms that traumatic head injury is the primary cause of death from falls down stairs. Also, we provide information on rare injuries from falls down stairs, and indirectly, identify which body locations appear protected from injury during falls. These findings may aid in the interpretation of whether injuries in this setting are compatible with accidental or non-accidental trauma.

Retrospektive Mortalitätsstudie nichtnatürlicher Todesfälle der Generation 65+ im Obduktionsgut der Rechtsmedizin Frankfurt am Main anhand zweier Zeitintervalle

Hintergrund und Ziel der Arbeit

Aufgrund des demografischen Wandels ist mit einer Änderung des Altersspektrums bei den Obduktionen zu rechnen. Ziel der Arbeit war die Untersuchung der nichtnatürlichen Todesfälle, bei denen die Verstorbenen ein Mindestalter von 65 Jahren erreicht hatten, da dieser Populationsgruppe zukünftig eine wachsende Bedeutung zukommen wird.

Material und Methoden

In dieser retrospektiven Mortalitätsstudie wurden alle nichtnatürlichen Todesfälle mit einem Sterbealter ≥ 65 Jahren analysiert, die in den Jahren 2000–2002 (Zeitraum I) und 2013–2015 (Zeitraum II) im Institut für Rechtsmedizin des Universitätsklinikums der Goethe-Universität in Frankfurt am Main obduziert wurden. Für die Analyse der suizidal Verstorbenen wurden zudem Daten nichtobduzierter Selbsttötungen (n = 100) aus Besichtigungen aufgenommen.

Ergebnisse

Aus den 1206 Obduktionen resultierten 669 natürliche (55,5 %) und 404 nichtnatürliche (33,5 %) Todesfälle. Darunter ergaben sich 221 Unfälle (Zeitraum I n = 105; Zeitraum II n = 116), 82 Suizide (Zeitraum I n = 55; Zeitraum II n = 27), 41 Todesfälle im Zusammenhang mit medizinischen Interventionen (Zeitraum I n = 7; Zeitraum II n = 34) und 40 Tötungsdelikte (Zeitraum I n = 23; Zeitraum II n = 17). Verkehrsunfälle und Stürze bilden die größten Subgruppen bei den Unfällen. Erhängen und Erschießen sind die am meisten angewandten Suizidarten. Vergleicht man Zeitraum I mit II, so fällt die signifikante Zunahme von Todesfällen im Zusammenhang mit ärztlichen Maßnahmen auf. Eine signifikante Abnahme von Suizidenten ist durch die abnehmende Obduktionsrate in dieser Gruppe zu begründen. Die relative und absolute Fallzahl an Tötungsdelikten im Obduktionsgut weisen keine wesentliche Veränderung auf.

Diskussion/Schlussfolgerung

Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie stimmen großteils mit der Literatur überein. Im Zeitvergleich zeigt sich eine relative Zunahme nichtnatürlicher Todesfälle im gerontologischen Obduktionsgut. Dies wird durch den Anstieg von Obduktionen nach iatrogenen Komplikationen wesentlich mitgeprägt.

Fatal falls in the elderly and the presence of proximal femur fractures

Fatal falls are frequent and seem to be an increasing problem in the elderly. Especially ground level falls (GLFs) and falls on or from stairs and steps (stairs falls) are worth examining for forensic classification and in order to improve the development of preventive measures. We retrospectively analyzed 261 fatal falls of elderly age 65 + years, which were autopsied at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Munich between 2008 and 2014. After careful screening, the sub-set of all 77 GLFs and 39 stairs falls were analyzed towards socio-demographic characteristics, fall circumstances, injuries, and circumstances of death. A subsequent analysis of GLF cases regarding the presence of proximal femur fractures (PFF) was performed. The injury pattern of the GLFs and the stairs falls clearly differ with a higher share of injuries to the lower extremities in the GLFs. However, the most severely injured body region was the head in both groups (62% of the stairs cases, 49% of the GLF cases). Alcohol as contributing to the fall was seen more frequently in the stairs falls. PFF were not seen in the stairs falls, but then in 18 GLF cases. Yet, for 17 among them (22% of 77), their hip fracture was the only serious injury leading to hospitalization and death. Only one GLF case was already found dead. This finding indicates a potential of avoiding up to 22% of the GLF fatalities by preventing hip fractures by optimized hip protectors or other measures, especially for the elderly aged 75 + years.

Skeletal fractures resulting from fatal falls: A review of the literature

To investigate what is currently known about skeletal blunt force trauma (BFT) resulting from falls, and how valuable that research is in contributing to forensic anthropology investigations and interpretations of circumstances of death, a comprehensive review of forensic anthropology, forensic pathology and clinical medicine literature was performed. Forensic anthropology literature identified that establishing the type of fall from the analysis of BFT is difficult given the uniqueness of each fall event, the complexities involved with identify BFT and, in particular, the limited available research documenting fracture patterning and morphologies. Comparatively, skeletal BFT resulting from fatal falls is well documented in the forensic pathology and clinical medicine literature. These disciplines cover a wide range of fall types (free falls, falls in juveniles, specific fractures produced from falls, falls down staircases, falls resulting in impalements, and 'other' fall types), provide details on how the nature of the fall influences the skeletal fracturing, and documents the anatomical regions susceptible to fracturing. Whilst these contributions may assist forensic anthropologists, they provide limited details of fracture patterns and morphologies and thus further research investigating the details of skeletal BFT resulting from fatal falls is required.

Fatal falls in an ethnically diverse urban community: the link between demographic factors and the circumstances surrounding fatal falls

OBJECTIVES

Fatal falls cause more than 15,000 deaths per year in the United States. Despite this, the circumstances surrounding fatal falls in elderly adults are poorly understood. It is unknown whether these circumstances differ across ethnicities, although Hispanic American individuals are at reduced risk for fatal falls. This study sought to describe fatal falls in an urban, predominantly Hispanic, and white non-Hispanic community and to determine the association of demographics with the circumstances surrounding these falls (proximate factors).

METHODS

The death certificates and medical examiners' reports for all 328 elderly individuals experiencing a fatal fall in Miami-Dade County, FL, from 2005 to 2007 were reviewed for demographic and proximate factors such as the preceding activity and fall location.

RESULTS

Fatal falls in elderly adults were experienced mostly by individuals living in the community (80%) and affected all demographic subgroups, although 80% occurred in individuals older than 74 years. Most fatal falls occurred at home (74%), indoors (75%), and during nonvigorous activities such as walking (58%) and these tended to affect the oldest elderly. In addition, a significant number of fatal falls occurred in public locations, outdoors, and during vigorous activity, with these falls tending to affect younger individuals living without family. Hispanic ethnicity was not associated with proximate factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Fatal fall prevention is needed for elderly individuals living in the community and should target the oldest elderly adults living at home while helping to ensure that individuals who are living without family have the appropriate support. These data suggest that Hispanic individuals may benefit from prevention strategies developed in other populations.

Epidemiology of subway-related fatalities in New York City, 1990-2003

PROBLEM

Subway transit is a relatively safe mode of transportation, yet compared to all other forms of mass transit in the United States (U.S.), subways have the highest fatality rate. The aim of this paper is to characterize subway-related fatalities in order to identify opportunities for risk reduction.

METHOD

Medical examiner records for all New York City (NYC) subway-related deaths (1990-2003) were reviewed. Data were abstracted on decedents' demographics and autopsy findings, including laboratory findings.

RESULTS

There were 668 subway-related fatalities, of these, 10 (1.5%) were homicides, 343 (51.3%) were determined to be suicides, and 315 (47.2%) were accidental. Although decedent characteristics varied between fatality categories, they were not particularly informative with regard to prevention.

CONCLUSION

Prevention strategies that focus on structural controls are likely to be most efficacious in improving the overall safety of the NYC subway systems.

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY

These findings suggest that structural rather than individual-level interventions would be most successful in preventing subway fatalities.