ABSTRACT
Under controlled circumstances and normal weather conditions, contained bodies of water or other ©uids, whether small or vast, pose little threat to those who encounter them. However, the presence of injury, disease, intoxication, human error, dangerous aquatic life, or the malicious intent of another while in or around a liquid medium may create an environment that is hostile, placing one at greater risk for death. e medicolegal evaluation of bodies recovered from water and other ©uid media must take into account several possibilities as to how a body became submerged in the žrst place and whether the submersion contributed to or caused the death. ese include:
• Natural death preceding or during immersion/submersion • Homicidal death preceding submersion • Homicidal death by drowning (forced or precipitated submersion) • Accidental death by injury or intoxication preceding or during submersion • Accidental drowning in the context of nonlethal injury or intoxication or lack of
swimming experience • Suicidal injury or intoxication preceding or during submersion • Suicide by drowning, including cases assisted by weighted object(s) attached to body • Death caused by or precipitated by cold water immersion (cold water shock or
hypothermia)
Below are just a few of the many examples of types of water-related deaths:
Natural: Sudden blockage of coronary artery with cardiac arrest while wading in a swimming pool.
