Certification of Vehicular Hyperthermia Deaths in the Pediatric Population

Abstract

The investigation of vehicular hyperthermia deaths in infants and children requires coordination between the autopsy, clinical history, and scene investigation. Unfortunately, autopsy findings can be limited or nonspecific, clinical history may be unavailable, and details concerning ambient temperature and vehicular temperature may be vague. In cases where hyperthermia is established as the cause of death, the certification of manner of death can be challenging and inconsistent among medical examiners. This article provides an overview of vehicular hyperthermia deaths and the certification of cause and manner of death in these cases.