title: Electric fences and accidental death.
abstract: Deaths which occur in association with agricultural electric fences are very rare. In fact, electric fences have undoubtedly saved numerous human and animal lives by safely and reliably keeping livestock confined to their fields and enclosures and thus preventing motor vehicle incidents when livestock get onto roads and highways. Accidental and intentional human contact with electric fences occurs regularly and causes little more than transient discomfort, however, on exceptional occasions, contact with electric fences appears to be directly related to the death of the individual. The precise pathophysiological cause of these deaths is unclear. We present two cases of deaths associated with electric fences, discuss the possible pathophysiological mechanisms in these cases, and suggest a universal approach to the medico-legal investigation and documentation of these deaths.
authors.affiliation: Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, 65 Kavanagh Street, Southbank, Vic, 3006, Australia. michaelb@vifm.org.|Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. michaelb@vifm.org.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5206-5784
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, 65 Kavanagh Street, Southbank, Vic, 3006, Australia.|Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Morris
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Odell
authors.affiliation: Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, 65 Kavanagh Street, Southbank, Vic, 3006, Australia.|Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bouwer
authors.affiliation: Equipment Safety and Energy Efficiency, EnergySafe Victoria, Level 5, Building 2, 4 Riverside Quay, Southbank Vic, 3006, Australia.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murdoch
mesh_terms: D000061:Accidents, Home; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D004556:Electric Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000139:chemically induced; D012424:Rural Population
keywords: Accidental death; Cause of death; Electric fence; Electrocution; Forensic