Deaths associated with wheelchairs

Abstract

As lethal events associated with wheelchair use are poorly reported in the literature, a search was undertaken of the Forensic Science South Australia (FSSA), Australia, autopsy database over a 20-year period for all cases where individuals who were wheelchair bound were found dead either in or beside their chairs. There were 16 cases, ranging in age from 30 to 92 years ( M = 58.6 years) and with a male-to-female ratio of 9:7. There were six accidents that involved burns, asphyxia, a fall and impact with a vehicle; three suicides that involved drowning and asphyxia; a single homicide involving drowning; a single undetermined case; and five cases due to medical conditions such as cerebral palsy with choking, ischaemic heart disease and pulmonary thromboembolism. Individuals who use wheelchairs may die from a wide variety of both unnatural and natural causes. Wheelchair users may be predisposed to specific types of accidents because of significant underlying physical impairment or serious diseases that may limit their ability either to move away from danger or to perform self-rescues. Morbidity and mortality associated with underlying medical conditions may be contributed to by the structure, stability and motility of wheelchairs.