BACKGROUNDLarge scale disruption of different body parts is seen in fatal railway incidents whether accidental or suicidal. Careful examination of body parts is necessary to find the relative position of victim and train during the occurrence of incident. Extensive mutilation of the body makes identification difficult and the relatives often refuse to believe that their family member committed suicide. An attempt is made to study the pattern of injuries that occur during accidental fall from train and suicidal jumping in front of the train, so that it may help a forensic pathologist to suggest a possible manner of death when sufficient history is not available.
MATERIALS AND METHODSA descriptive study of all railway track deaths brought for medicolegal autopsy at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Kerala, from 1 st March 2010 to 28 th February 2011 were analysed. A total of 104 cases of railway track deaths were studied excluding cases with advanced decomposition. Data regarding nature of incidents were collected from the Kerala Police Form 102 (KPF 102), investigating officers and relatives. Clinical case records were studied in treated cases. A meticulous external and internal examination was made and the details regarding nature, dimensions and location of injury was entered in a proforma. The data were entered in MS Excel and statistical analysis was done.
RESULTSOut of the 104 cases of railway occurrence, six cases (5.8%) were those with history of fall from running train and 20 (19.2%) cases were with history of jumping in front of train. External injury was present in all the cases. In all the cases, head showed lacerated wounds and the upper limbs showed abrasion. All the cases showed soft tissue injuries on the head and face. Fracture of the skull bone was seen in 66.6% of cases. Head alone was injured in 83.3% of cases and head and neck were involved in 1 case. Soft tissue injury was present in three cases (50%). Injury to chest was present in 66.6% of cases. In 50% of cases, the liver was found lacerated either alone (16.6%) or in combination with other viscera (33.3%). Chest alone and abdomen alone were injured in 1 case (16.6%) each. Chest along with abdomen was injured in 3 cases (50%). In two cases, there was transection of the body at the level of abdomen, in one of which the chest structure also was injured. External injury of pelvic region was present in 50% of cases, while fracture occurred in only one case. The upper limb showed fracture in two cases (33.3%); in one at single site (left elbow) and in the other at multiple sites. The lower limb showed multiple fractures (16.6%) in one case. In the case with fracture of the left elbow joint there was an abrasion on the back of left elbow, the upper four ribs on left side were fractured on the back aspect and head showed contusion with lacerated wound on right side. In Group II abrasions and lacerated wounds were the major types of injuries seen in this group showing a frequency of 90% each. In all the cases head showed lacerated wound...