Sacco Matteo Antonio, Gualtieri Saverio, Spiliopoulou Chara, Tarallo Alessandro Pasquale, Aquila Isabella
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro, ITA.
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GRC.
Cureus. 2025 Mar 25;17(3):e81166. doi: 10.7759/cureus.81166. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Forensic medicine plays a crucial role in investigating fatalities resulting from road accidents, particularly in assessing physical injuries and toxicological findings to determine their correlation with accident dynamics. The expertise of forensic pathologists is essential not only in establishing the cause of death but also in reconstructing the events leading to the fatal outcome and identifying the potential influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances. The presence of such substances in road accident victims is a well-documented factor contributing to impaired driving, making forensic toxicology a key component in post-mortem examinations. When road accidents result in fatalities, forensic investigations, especially autopsies, provide critical insights into the cause of death and assist in determining any legal responsibilities. In many cases, judicial authorities mandate forensic examinations to clarify whether death resulted directly from the accident or was influenced by other factors such as pre-existing medical conditions or substance intoxication. This study reviews existing research on forensic investigations in road accidents, emphasizing their role in enhancing road safety measures and ensuring legal accuracy.
法医学在调查道路交通事故导致的死亡事件中起着至关重要的作用，特别是在评估身体损伤和毒理学结果以确定它们与事故动态的相关性方面。法医病理学家的专业知识不仅对于确定死因至关重要，而且对于重建导致致命结果的事件以及识别酒精或精神活性物质的潜在影响也必不可少。道路交通事故受害者体内存在此类物质是导致驾驶能力受损的一个有充分记录的因素，这使得法医毒理学成为尸检的关键组成部分。当道路交通事故导致死亡时，法医调查，尤其是尸检，能提供关于死因的关键见解，并有助于确定任何法律责任。在许多情况下，司法当局要求进行法医检查，以澄清死亡是否直接由事故导致，还是受到其他因素如既往病史或药物中毒的影响。本研究回顾了关于道路交通事故法医调查的现有研究，强调了它们在加强道路安全措施和确保法律准确性方面的作用。
