Journal List > Korean J Leg Med > v.43(4) > 1138576

TOOLS
Kim: SCUBA Diving Fatality by Overweighted Belt: An Autopsy Case
Case Report

Korean Journal of Legal Medicine 2019; 43(4): 164-166.

Published online: 30 November 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2019.43.4.164

SCUBA Diving Fatality by Overweighted Belt: An Autopsy Case

Youn Shin Kim

Department of Forensic Medicine, Chosun University School of Medicine, Gwangju, Korea.

Correspondence to Youn Shin Kim. Department of Forensic Medicine, Chosun University School of Medicine, 309 Pilmun-daero, Donggu, Gwangju 61452, Korea. Tel: +82-62-230-6998, Fax: +82-62-234-4584, ysk007fm@hotmail.com

Received 1 October 2019       Revised 5 November 2019       Accepted 15 November 2019

© Copyright 2019 by the Korean Society for Legal Medicine

The Korean Society for Legal Medicine

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Scuba diving is a popular sports activity, even though it is associated with potential hazards. When a diver enters the water for an underwater expedition, he/she needs a series of diving gear, including a regulator, buoyancy compensator, diving suit, and weight belt, among others. Here, the author encountered a fatal diving accident wherein autopsy showed the evidence of death by drowning. The witness stated that the diver requested more weight to descend into the water, and the diver wore one more weight belt, totalling 26 kg. After a second trial of diving, he did not grab the regulator and disappeared into the water suddenly, and bubbles did not appear at the surface. Based on the witness statement and autopsy findings, the original cause of accident was concluded as an overweighted belt for descent into the water.

Keywords: Scuba diving, Overweighted belt, Drowning, Autopsy

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Photograph shows ballooning of the lungs with froth from the bronchus.

kjlm-43-164-g001
Fig. 2

Photograph shows the diving gear of the victim, including an air tank, a dry suit, and two sets of weight belts.

kjlm-43-164-g002

Notes

Conflicts of Interest Youn Shin Kim, a contributing editor of the Korean Journal of Legal Medicine, was not involved in the editorial evaluation or decision to publish this article.

References

1. Edmonds D, Walker D. Scuba diving fatalities in Australia and New Zealand. Part 1. The human factor. SPUMS J. 1989; 19:94–104.
2. Lawrence C, Cooke C. Autopsy and the investigation of scuba diving fatalities. Diving Hyperb Med. 2006; 36:2–8.
3. Denoble PJ, Caruso JL, Dear GL, et al. Common causes of open-circuit recreational diving fatalities. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2008; 35:393–406.
TOOLS
ORCID iDs

Youn Shin Kim
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7407-0421

Similar articles