This course covers major types of traumatic deaths in forensic pathology, relating these to death investigation.

Objectives:

• Recognize and interpret post mortem changes of livor, rigor and decomposition, relating them to position movement of body after death, timing of death and documentation needed at death investigation.
• Cite types of asphyxia deaths, mechanisms and relationship to scene findings in common asphyxia deaths such as hanging, smothering, airway obstruction, mechanical asphyxia.
• Distinguish between sharp and blunt force injury and findings in these deaths, including scene and investigative clues, potential evidence and documentation needed for a death investigation.
• Recognize types and scene findings in electrical related deaths.
• Identify findings, common circumstances and risk factors in hyperthermic and hypothermic deaths. Relate these to necessary scene documentation and investigation.
• Specify findings in transportation fatalities and relate to investigation documentation and interpretation in motor vehicle, recreational vehicles, bicycles and non-motorized vehicles, pedestrian, and mass-transit (rail, airplane, bus). Recognize patterns of driver vs. passenger, restrained vs. non-restrained victims.
• Identify delayed complications of traumatic deaths.
• Distinguish findings in gunshot and shot gun injury including range of fire, type/class of weapon, entrance, exit and re-entrance or ricochet wounds.
• Identify common toxicology testing, suitable fluids for testing and possible interpretive challenges in post-mortem toxicology.
• Identify steps and challenges in child death investigation.
• List findings and scene documentation in drowning and water-recreational deaths.