title: A rare case of a scuba diver's death due to propeller injuries of a desalination pump.
abstract: Water skiing, boat racing, skin and scuba diving, as well as pleasure boat cruising are becoming increasingly popular hobbies. As a result, the incidence of injuries secondary to motor propellers is becoming more frequent. Injuries by propellers, amputation, death by drowning, and bleeding are rare reported events in forensic literature. The most common circumstances surrounding boat-propeller-related injuries are concerned with getting into or out of the boat, personal watercraft use or water skiing, and falling or being thrown from the boat. A case of a scuba diver's death that occurred during an illegal scuba fishing trip around a desalination plant is presented. A complete autopsy and histological study of all organs and surfaces of dismembered cadaveric sections, performed in order to determine the phases of death, are reported. An underwater scene investigation was conducted by an engineering team studying the mouth of the pump and the dynamic characteristic of rotating propeller blades.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology, University of Foggia, Ospedale Colonnello d'Avanzo, Viale degli Aviatori 1, 71100 Foggia, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perilli
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology, University of Foggia, Ospedale Colonnello d'Avanzo, Viale degli Aviatori 1, 71100 Foggia, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Di Battista
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Toxicology "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, via S. Sofia 87, Comparto 10, 95123, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montana
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pavia
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cauchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Zerafa
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology, University of Foggia, Ospedale Colonnello d'Avanzo, Viale degli Aviatori 1, 71100 Foggia, Italy; Department of Anatomy, University of Malta, Msida, Malta. Electronic address: cristoforopomara@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pomara
mesh_terms: D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000209:etiology*; D003643:Death; D004242:Diving; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018508:Water Purification; D014947:Wounds and Injuries
keywords: Acute haemorrhage; Desalination plant; Drowning; Propeller injuries