Murphy G K
Department of Pathology, Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, OH 45409-2793.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1989 Dec;10(4):285-8. doi: 10.1097/00000433-198912000-00002.
Suicide by a motor vehicle occurs more commonly than is realized, and may be difficult to prove. Suicide by other means while driving a vehicle is far less common. An automobile driven by a young woman left a road at high speed, became airborne, and came to rest on its top in a front yard. This was initially assumed to be a fatal traffic accident. Upon righting the vehicle, a .357 revolver was found on the ground beside it. A single, fatal, self-inflicted gunshot wound was found in the decedent's midanterior thorax. A suicide note was found in her purse. She had been chronically depressed and had twice attempted suicide. Vehicular suicides may constitute 10-30% of fatal single-vehicle crashes, and must be considered in any vehicular mishap lacking another reasonable explanation. Suicide by other means while driving is far less common than suicidal vehicular collision and suicidal death from carbon monoxide in motor vehicles. An autopsy should be performed in each of these sometimes-low-priority single-vehicle deaths in order to certify vehicular accidents correctly; to discover and document vehicular suicides; and to detect homicides disguised as vehicular mishaps.
机动车自杀事件比人们意识到的更为常见，而且可能难以证明。在驾驶车辆时通过其他方式自杀的情况则要少得多。一名年轻女子驾驶的汽车高速驶离道路，腾空而起，最后车顶朝下停在前院。起初这被认为是一起致命的交通事故。在扶正车辆后，在车旁的地上发现了一把.357 口径的左轮手枪。在死者胸部中前部发现一处致命的自伤枪伤。在她的钱包里发现了一封遗书。她长期抑郁，曾两次试图自杀。车辆自杀事件可能占单车致命事故的 10%至 30%，在任何缺乏其他合理解释的车辆事故中都必须考虑到这一点。在驾驶时通过其他方式自杀的情况远比自杀性车辆碰撞和机动车一氧化碳中毒导致的自杀死亡要少。对于这些有时优先级较低的单车死亡事件，都应进行尸检，以便正确认证车辆事故；发现并记录车辆自杀事件；以及检测伪装成车辆事故的杀人案件。
