Pattern of injuries in railway fatalities at bowring and lady curzon hospital, bangalore

Vijay, V.; Venkata Raghava, S.

Background: The Indian Railways, started over 167 years ago, is among the world’s largest rail network. In a country like India, the railway network is ideal for long-distance travel and movement of bulk commodities, apart from being an energy efficient and economic mode of conveyance and transport. Although beneficial in a multitude of ways, railway fatalities are known to cause tremendous loss, in terms of human lives as well as economic forfeiture. Methods and results: A 7-month prospective and descriptive type of autopsy study was conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital attached to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore. Out of 98 cases of railway fatalities, maximum number of deaths belonged to 21-30 years age group i.e., 33 cases (33.67%) with male preponderance (88 cases – 89.79%). The Hindu community contributed to 54 cases (55.10%). Maximum cases occurred in the monsoon season (34 cases-34.69%) and majority of victims were found dead at the scene (90 cases-91.83%). The predominant manner of death was suicidal (49 cases-50%) and the most common cause for death was shock and hemorrhage (53 cases-54.08%). Conclusion: Studies such as this, can help in better understanding of railway fatalities which can help policy makers in implementing counteractive measures to prevent accidental deaths, discourage suicidal deaths and to improve railway safety in general.