HUMAN-RELATED FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO SCUBA DIVING FATALITIES: FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF FOUR UNUSUAL CASES

V. Rybárová, F. Novomesky, M. Janík,S. Straka, J. Krajcovic, M. Hájek

Abstract: Underwater scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) diving fatalities can be caused by unforeseeable situations due to various factors. The majority of diving fatalities are a result of an error in judgment, a violation of safe diving practices, or overestimation of the diver’s level of training and experience. In most countries there are no analogous diving accidents investigation units similar to those that investigate aircraft accidents. Especially in Europe, the professional investigative dive teams are not common, so the whole interpretation of diving accidents often appertain to the forensic pathologist. The result is often mistaken diagnosis without an explanation of the causative sequence of events. The authors present four cases of surprising, risky and negligent approaches to diving; emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for the medical, technical, and final critical examination of diving-related deaths in order to arrive at the correct conclusion.
Keywords: Scuba diving, Diving accidents, Forensic pathology, Forensic investigation.