CAUSE OF DEATH

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Determination of the cause of death is a field of expertise that requires scientific, technical, and objective analysis in processes concerning criminal, civil, and insurance law.
As a forensic medicine specialist, scientific, impartial, and reasoned expert opinions are provided in light of scientific methodology for natural deaths, forced (traumatic) deaths, and cases with a controversial cause. 

The cause of death is the determination of the disease, trauma, or physiopathological process that ended the person's life.
In forensic evaluation, not only the question "how did they die?" is examined, but also the following questions are analyzed simultaneously:

• What is the mechanism of death?

• What is the time of death (post-mortem interval)?

• Is the death natural or forced?

• Is there a causal link between trauma and death?

• Did the medical intervention process affect the outcome of death?

In this process;

• Council of Forensic Medicine practices,

• Supreme Court precedents,

• National and international forensic medicine literature
  are taken as references. 

•  Cardiac causes

• Cerebrovascular diseases

• Infections

• Metabolic and systemic diseases
  

In claims of natural death, a detailed causality analysis is performed in cases of sudden death, death at a young age, or death developing after medical intervention.

• Traffic accidents

• Falls

• Occupational accidents

• Blunt or penetrating traumas

• Poisonings

The causal link between trauma and death, the lethality degree of the trauma, and the contribution rate are evaluated based on scientific criteria.

• Post-operative death

• Death during the intensive care process

• Death after emergency intervention

In these files, a distinction is made between the natural disease process and a possible medical malpractice. 

• Sudden and unexpected deaths

• Deaths in custody or prison

• Deaths occurring at the workplace

• Death claims within the scope of insurance

In such files, the cause of death, time of death, and mechanism are analyzed together. 

Evaluation is carried out through the following stages:

1. Examination of scene data
    
2. Analysis of medical records
    
3. Evaluation of autopsy findings
    
4. Interpretation of      histopathological and toxicological results
    
5. Examination of trauma-disease interaction
    
6. Conducting causality (proximate cause) analysis
    
7. Preparation of a report containing scientific justification
    

When determining the cause of death, the determination is based on a holistic analysis of all data, not a single finding.

The most critical element from a legal perspective is establishing the link between the existing trauma or disease and death. 

 While performing the evaluation: 

• Lethality potential of the trauma

• Contribution of existing diseases

• Effect of the intervention process

• Inevitability criterion
    

 are addressed with scientific benchmarks. 

 The contribution rate analysis is of great importance, especially in multifactorial deaths.

Is every sudden death a forensic case?
No. Sudden death is not always forced. Natural diseases can also cause sudden death. 

Can the cause of death be determined with certainty without an autopsy?
In some cases, clinical data may be sufficient; however, in suspicious cases, an autopsy is the most reliable method.

How is the cause of death determined if a person with trauma has an existing disease?
The contribution rate of trauma and disease and the causal link are evaluated together. 

Could the medical intervention process have changed the outcome of death?
This situation requires a case-based analysis and is a subject of a separate technical examination.

• Criminal proceedings

• Compensation lawsuits

• Occupational accident files

• Death files under the scope of insurance

• Claims of death after medical intervention

• Evaluation based on academic literature

• Technical interpretation of autopsy and pathology data

• Objective analysis of trauma-disease interaction

• Reasoned reporting suitable for judicial review

Determination of the cause of death is a technical process that has not only medical but also legal consequences. Evaluations lacking a scientific basis may lead to incorrect judicial results. 

You can request a scientific preliminary evaluation regarding natural, traumatic, or controversial death files and contact us for a detailed expert opinion.
For lawyers and individual applications, a review is conducted over the file.