Medicolegal Death Investigation of Railroad-Related Fatalities

Abstract Railroad-related fatalities in the United States are increasing. A paucity of literature exists regarding the medicolegal death investigation of railroad-related deaths. We report on a subset of deaths in western Michigan, propose protocols for investigating train-related deaths, and propose a stepwise approach for the medicolegal investigation of railroad-related fatalities. Fourteen railroad-related fatalities from 2015 to 2019 were reviewed. Each case was analyzed for demographics, investigative components, train variables, and death certification. The average age was 32 years. Nine decedents involved pedestrians versus trains, and 5 involved motor vehicles versus trains. Male victims were more common, and 50% of the cases were associated with mental illness or recent stressors. Accident was the most common manner of death. With the exception of basic weather conditions, the remaining investigative variables were rarely reported. Image and audio recordings were taken in 3 cases, but railroad companies refused to allow the recordings to be viewed by the medical examiner. We conclude that in addition to a thorough medicolegal death scene investigation and postmortem examination, audio/video recordings are crucial components of death certification in railroad-related fatalities and advocate that medical examiners/coroners be given the legal right to view and retain them.