New Mexico's oil and natural gas industry has the second highest occupational fatality rate among oil and gas workers in the nation. There is currently limited data available regarding the top contributing factors to occupational mortality specific to the state's oil and gas industry. This study seeks to understand causes of mortality among oil and gas workers in New Mexico between 2008 and 2018. To facilitate this study, case reports were obtained from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, and population data was acquired from the US Department of Labor. In this 11-year span, there were 73 cases, with an average annual mortality rate of 37 deaths per 100,000 oil and gas workers. Leading causes of death were vehicle accidents (36%), cardiovascular incidents (22%), and crush injuries (19%). The majority of vehicle accidents involved single vehicle accidents, and correct seat belt use was only documented 23% of the time. The majority of cardiovascular deaths were due to arteriosclerotic and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Alcohol was present in 18% of cases, and drugs were present in 19% of cases with methamphetamine present in 10% of investigated deaths. This is the first study to directly include cardiovascular incidents in the leading causes of death; otherwise, this study reflects national data reporting vehicle accidents and crush injuries as the leading causes of death. Going forward, prevention measures should effectively target safe driving practices focusing on seatbelt use, and mitigation of workplace drug and alcohol consumption.

Introduction: Albuquerque New Mexico is the "hot air balloon capital of the world," with balloons flying throughout the year and during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The medical literature regarding morbidity and mortality in hot air balloon accidents is relatively scarce.Methods: A series of fatal, hot air balloon accidents were identified by querying and analyzing the databases of the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico from 1972 to 2021.Results: Twenty-one lethal cases from 11 hot air balloon accidents were evaluated. Fifty-seven percent of decedents were male, the age range was 29 to 74 years, and all the decedents were White. Causes of death were certified as multiple injuries (52.4%), blunt trauma (42.9%), and electrocution (4.76%). The manner of death was accidental in all cases. Most common autopsy findings were rib fractures (100%), pelvic fractures (81.8%), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (72.7%). October was the month with the most accidents (63.63%), the most common cause was the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from obstacles (14.3%), and the most frequent collision was with power lines (63.6%).Conclusions: Hot air balloon fatalities are rare, and the patterns of injury resemble those seen in free falls from significant heights with extensive blunt trauma.