A child death from unsupervised handling of modern technology

Parents or guardians should be cautious when allowing the children to handle modern technology. At the same time young children should be supervised thoroughly as their little experiments or mischievous behaviors could lead to fatal injuries. A 6 year old boy was found dead wedged upright between a remote controlled sliding gate and its post at his own house which was tightly pressed against his mid chest. The remote control device was found on the floor beside him. Post mortem examination revealed a compatible patterned abrasion on the back of the chest 40 cm above the heel which can be explained from the projection of the gate post. There were conjuctival petechiae, and marked congestion of the upper chest and face. Internal examination was negative except for the marked congestion. Cause of death was concluded as traumatic asphyxia. Traumatic asphyxia due to accidental entrapment in a remote controlled sliding gate is rare in forensic literature. This case highlights the importance of close supervision of children and incorporation of properly functioning safety mechanisms in devices with modern technology.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/mljsl.v1i1.7277

Medico-Legal Journal of Sri Lanka 2013; 1(1), Jan-April : 52-54