Risk of dying after a free fall from height.

Falls from height are predominantly an urban phenomenon and represent an important form of blunt trauma. Disagreement predominates regarding the height at which death results. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of dying after a free fall from height in relation to the distance fallen. Therefore, medical records of victims of a fall from height treated in 1989 at Viennese emergency units were analysed. In addition, post-mortem reports of deaths due to falls from height, examined in the same year at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Vienna, were studied. For the purpose of an homogenous investigation sample in regard to physical condition, only people aged from 20 to 50 years were taken into account. A total of 11 females and 30 males suffered an accidental fall from buildings, seven men from scaffolding and two men from a tree. A total of 18 females and 18 males jumped from residential buildings. One woman and nine men intentionally fell from other buildings. All victims landed on concrete or pavement. Suicidal jumps occurred from significantly higher places than accidental falls. The results of this analysis suggest that death usually occurs when distance is more than five storeys.