Suicidal Jumps Research Articles

MP13: Injuries presenting to the ED following jumps from bridges into water: a multi-agency retrospective case series

Introduction: Suicidal jumps from bridges into water are a unique blunt trauma mechanism. Impact into water produces substantial variation in injuries as compared to falls onto hard surfaces. Outcomes can be further complicated by submersion injuries. We identified cases through a multi-agency review in order to analyze injury patterns seen in EDs. Methods: Cases in British Columbia's Lower Mainland of jumps from bridges >12m into water between 2006 and 2017 were identified by retrospective review of Coast Guard and Police records. Records pertaining to identified incidents were located in ambulance and then hospital records. This multi-agency approach was necessary to generate a comprehensive case series, as case identification was not possible at the hospital level. Patient hospital charts were abstracted and injury incidence rates were analyzed. Results: Records were available for 41 of 52 patients. The population was 63% (26/41) male, median age 37 (IQR 29-48). Thirty-two cases were admitted to hospital, seven were deceased in the ED, one was discharged, and disposition is unknown for one. Most patients (85%) presented to Level One trauma centers. Bridge heights ranged from 15m to 70m; the mean fall height was 40.1m. Pulmonary injuries were nearly universal, including pneumothorax (51%), haemothorax (22%), and pulmonary infiltrate (34%). The primary cardiovascular concern was cardiac arrhythmia (51%). A quarter of cases had intraabdominal lacerations or ruptures (27%). Vertebral fractures at all levels were frequent (59%), although there was only one case each of cord transection and contusion. Neurological injuries were rare; 59% of patients presented to the ED with GCS ≥14 and the incidence of intracranial bleeding was low (7%). Rib fractures were commonly reported (37%) along with other fractures (32%). Body temperature was reported in 24 cases with 3 reports of moderate and 6 reports of mild hypothermia. Conclusion: This case series is the first to characterize injury patterns of jumps from bridges into water in Canada. Patterns are similar to reports in the literature from other countries. However, we found lower injury severity, and higher incidences of spinal fractures and cardiac arrhythmias. The low injury severity reflects the survivorship bias inherent to the sample: data was only obtained from patients who survived to be assessed the ED. These results suggest that patients with this mechanism of injury should be treated for both suspected trauma and cold-water immersion injuries.

Falls from height: orthopaedic and psychiatric evaluation.

Background:Fall from a height is one of the major causes of significant trauma with high morbidity and mortality rates. Traumatological damage control is often the primary treatment both for suicide attempt survivors and for accidental fall victims, but management of the hospitalization of psychiatric patients requires more resources than other patients.Methods:Retrospective multidisciplinary study (psychiatric and orthopaedic evaluation) and analysis of psychiatric and trauma characteristics of patients fallen from height admitted to our trauma centre. We analysed patterns of patients after suicidal jumps and accidental falls to look for possible trends that may trigger projects for further improvement of care.Results:205 patients were analysed, 137 were included: 65 suicide attempt survivors and 72 accidental fall victims. Between these two groups there are no differences about the anaesthesiologic acute management or the number of damage control procedures. However, the psychiatric patients stay longer in hospital especially in intensive care unit with prolonged intubation (p< 0.001). Suicide attempt survivors are significant correlated with fractures of feet, but the orthopaedic lesions do not involve an increase of definitive interventions (p< 0.05).Conclusion:We showed that the suicide attempt survivors and accidental victims need the same acute management. The orthopedic definitive surgical procedures are similar between the two groups, but in spite of this patients with psychiatric disorder were associated with a statistically significant increase of care in intensive care unit and hospitalization. Our results allow to create a new multidisciplinary approach for these patients. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Spinal Injuries in Suicidal Jumpers.

This was a retrospective case series at a single institution. The study was performed to investigate the characteristics of spinal injuries in survivors of suicidal jumping. Spinal fracture/dislocation is associated with high-energy trauma such as that induced by motor vehicle accidents. Survivors of suicidal jumping sometimes sustain spinal injuries. However, the characteristics of such spinal injuries are unclear. We identified 87 survivors of suicidal jumping who sustained spinal injuries from 2007 to 2016 in our institution. We compared the demographic data, radiological findings, neurological status, associated injuries, treatments, and mental health conditions between these 87 survivors and 204 non-suicidal patients with spinal injury. Suicidal jumpers were predominantly female (67%) and 10 years younger than non-suicidal patients. Mental health problems, mainly schizophrenia and depression, were diagnosed in 77% of suicidal jumpers. Neurological damage from spinal trauma was generally less severe in suicidal jumpers than in non-suicidal patients. Most spinal injuries in suicidal jumpers were located in the thoracic or lumbar spine region (85%). Among comorbid injuries, extremity injuries were highly associated with spine injury in suicidal jumpers. Nearly 70% of suicidal jumpers exhibited extremity injury in contrast to 33% of non-suicidal patients. Approximately, 25% of suicidal jumpers underwent surgical treatment. Surgical treatment was similarly performed on suicidal jumpers and non-suicidal patients regardless of the discrepancy in neurological damage between these two groups. Spinal injuries in suicidal jumpers differed from spinal injuries in non-suicidal patients with regard to sex, age, mental health condition, injury location, neurologic damage, and associated injuries. Most survivors of suicidal jumping were young female patients with mental health problems. They tended to have thoracic and lumbar spine trauma rather than cervical trauma with less severe neurological deficits and a higher incidence of accompanying limb injury. 3.

An analysis of international traveller deaths at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, 1993-2017.

Traumatic deaths, and more particularly suicides, during international travel receive a disproportionately low level of attention in the travel medicine literature. We describe the demographic profile of international travellers whose death occurred at the Cliffs of Moher along the Atlantic seaboard in Ireland. Coroners' files for the 25 years between 1993 and 2017 were interrogated. All cases of death on or at the cliffs were examined, and demographic data were extracted, including date of death, gender, age, nationality, whether the victims were alone at the cliffs prior to their death, whether the fall was witnessed, prevailing weather conditions, post-mortem examinations, toxicology reports and inquest verdicts. Overall, 66 deaths occurred on or at the base of the Cliffs of Moher during the period 1993 through August 2017. In total, 18 (27.3%) of the victims were international visitors to Ireland, including 11 males (61.1%). The mean age of travellers (n = 17) was 34.2 years. Victims were nationals of 12 different countries, with 13 being European nationals. Most deaths occurred in summer (n = 7) or spring (n = 6), with eight deaths (44%) reported at weekends. In total, 15 victims (83.3%) had walked along the cliff path alone. A jump or fall from the cliffs was witnessed in only two cases (11.1%). Post-mortem examinations revealed multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a fall from a height. Four cases had evidence of alcohol intoxication. Suicide or open verdicts were returned in 50% (n = 9) of the cases. Travelling alone to the site, purchasing one-way tickets, or depositing belongings on the clifftop support the possibility of suicidal intent, while being intoxicated could be a co-factor in suicidal jumps or support the possibility of an accidental fall. This knowledge could help to identify travellers at the greatest risk of death at cliffs.

Comparing Different Suicide Prevention Measures at Bridges and Buildings: Lessons We Have Learned from a National Survey in Switzerland.

The goal of the study was to compare the effectiveness of different suicide prevention measures implemented on bridges and other high structures in Switzerland. A national survey identified all jumping hotspots that have been secured in Switzerland; of the 15 that could be included in this study, 11 were secured by vertical barriers and 4 were secured by low-hanging horizontal safety nets. The study made an overall and individual pre-post analysis by using Mantel-Haenszel Tests, regression methods and calculating rate ratios. Barriers and safety nets were both effective, with mean suicide reduction of 68.7% (barriers) and 77.1% (safety nets), respectively. Measures that do not secure the whole hotspot and still allow jumps of 15 meters or more were less effective. Further, the analyses revealed that barriers of at least 2.3 m in height and safety-nets fixed significantly below pedestrian level deterred suicidal jumps. Secured bridgeheads and inbound angle barriers seemed to enhance the effectiveness of the measure. Findings can help to plan and improve the effectiveness of future suicide prevention measures on high structures.

Strategy of treatment for thracolumbar burst fractures by suicidal jumps

Strategy of treatment for thracolumbar burst fractures by suicidal jumps

Jumping and falling death in children, adolescents, and young adults

Introduction Evaluation of fatal jumps and falls from height in children, adolescents and young adults needs careful medico-legal investigation. The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of undetermined falling from height, accidental falling, and suicidal jumping cases between 1990–2003. Methods Copies of death certificates relating to falling from height and jumping deaths in Hungarian youths from the ages of 0–24 years of those resident in Hungary were obtained. Results 215 (34.1%) accidental falls, 394 (62.6%) suicidal jumping, and 21 (3.3%) undetermined intent were investigated. A significant increase was detected in suicidal jumping death in the age group of 15–19 years (OR = 0.7, CI = 0.49–0.98, p = 0.039), and in the age group of 20–24 years (OR = 0.72, CI = 0.54–0.96, p = 0.025) in the most recent 5 year study period. Conclusion Data concerning the scene investigation, detailed forensic autopsy, and family history have important role in the differentiation of fatal jumping or falling cases. Further investigation about the characteristics injuries may help the final determination of violent death causes at youth, and more effort should be directed to an effective prevention strategy for jumping or falling death cases.

Fatal falls from heights in and around Diyarbakir, Turkey

Falls from high places, such as from a building, are frequently encountered in suicides, in some accidents, and sometimes in homicides. In this study, we evaluated the demographic data, mortality rates, fall causes, and post-mortem findings of individuals who fell from heights. Our cases were collected retrospectively from the files of the Branch of the Council of Forensic Medicine in Diyarbakir between 1996 and 2001. There were 431 accidental and 53 suicidal deaths due to blunt injury resulting from falls. Of the victims, 188 were female and 296 were male. The average age of the 484 victims was 27.05 years (range: 4 months–100 years). For buildings, the height ranged from 3 to 8 storeys for suicides and from 1 to 8 storeys for accidents. We proceeded to analyse the characteristics of accidental falls as follows. The majority of falls were from balconies or rooftops due to the tendency of people to sit and sleep on these places during the hotter months of the year. Some 54.5% of all falls occurred in May–August. The 53 suicidal jumps all occurred off buildings. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 70 years, and comprised 29 women and 24 men. One of the deceased jumped from the roof of a school in which he was boarding, and another from the seventh storey of a hospital in which he was receiving treatment. The remaining 51 jumped from heights ranging from 3 to 8 storeys. Psychiatric illness was reported in 18 (33.9%) of the suicide deaths, while 10 (18.8%) of the 53 suicides were single women. The results of this study were at variance with literature data with respect to the following: falls from heights were most common in the 0–5 year age group, females had a higher suicide rate than males, and the majority of accidental falls occurred at home rather than in the workplace.

Hémorragie grave rétrosacrée sans lésion osseuse associéeaprès défenestration

We describe the case of original haemorrhagic shock after a 22-year-old woman suicidal jumping. The first radiological evaluation showed only a non-bleeding fracture of the first lumbar vertebra (CT-scan) and a calcaneum fracture. Pelvic ring was normal. The exploration of the abdominal system (sonographic evaluation) did not highlight any abnormality. There was no sign of haemodynamic shock and the biological results were normal. Nevertheless, three hours later, severe haemorrhagic shock appeared without organic explanation. After new research (thoracic and abdominal-pelvic CT-scan), the source of bleeding was found in the gluteal muscles without associated pelvic ring fracture. Several vascular haemorrhagic failures were found on little arteries related to the internal iliac left artery. Haemorrhagic loss was important. Radiological gluteal arteries embolisation could have been realized but finally not chosen. The haemorrhage stopped spontaneously after about 36 hours. The early diagnosis was difficult because of the vertebral fracture that constrained strict dorsal position. We could not see the important haematoma without moving the patient. We have not found any description of a severe haemorrhagic shock secondary to a single blunt gluteal muscle.

Suicide by jumping.

This review summarizes the published literature on suicide by jumping, in particular focusing on the social and psychological characteristics of people who have chosen this method of suicide, and the opportunities for prevention. Suicide by jumping accounts for 5% of suicides in England and Wales, and there are marked variations in the use of this method world-wide. A number of locations have gained notoriety as popular places from which to jump. Such sites include The Golden Gate Bridge and Niagara Falls in the USA, and Beachy Head and the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the UK. There is no consistent evidence that those who commit suicide by jumping differ sociodemographically or in their psychopathology from those who use other methods of suicide, although this method is more often used for in-patient suicides, possibly due to lack of access to other means. Survivors of suicidal jumps experience higher subsequent rates of suicide and mental ill health, but the majority do not go on to kill themselves, suggesting that preventive efforts may be worthwhile. This view is supported by other evidence that restricting access to the means of suicide may prevent some would-be suicides. Such measures may also reduce the emotional trauma suffered by those who witness these acts. Health authorities and coroners should consider reviewing local patterns of suicide by jumping, and if necessary institute preventive measures.

Vertical deceleration injuries: a comparative study of the injury patterns of 101 patients after accidental and intentional high falls

We analysed the pattern of injury of 101 adult patients who were treated in our Trauma Center after a fall from an average height of 7.2 m between 1987 and 1990. In 62 patients the fall was accidental, and 39 jumped with suicidal intent. The most common injuries were fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine (83.0 per cent) especially of the thoracolumbar junction. The pattern of limb injuries is towards a significant preference of the metaphyseal and epiphyseal parts of the bones of the distal joints (wrist, elbow, ankle, subtalar). Fractures of the diaphyseal areas and the proximal joints (shoulder, humerus, hip, femur) were rare. The incidence of thoracic (20.8 per cent) and pelvic injuries (30.0 per cent) was relatively lower. Blunt abdominal injury (5.9 per cent) was rare after a fall from a great height. Head injuries occurred in only 27 per cent of our patients who all survived their transport to hospital. There is no significant difference in injury patterns between deliberate and accidental falls, but there is a higher number of isolated injuries in all patients after unsuccessful suicidal jumps.

Risk of dying after a free fall from height

Falls from height are predominantly an urban phenomenon and represent an important form of blunt trauma. Disagreement predominates regarding the height at which death results. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of dying after a free fall from height in relation to the distance fallen. Therefore, medical records of victims of a fall from height treated in 1989 at Viennese emergency units were analysed. In addition, post-mortem reports of deaths due to falls from height, examined in the same year at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Vienna, were studied. For the purpose of an homogenous investigation sample in regard to physical condition, only people aged from 20 to 50 years were taken into account. A total of 11 females and 30 males suffered an accidental fall from buildings, seven men from scaffolding and two men from a tree. A total of 18 females and 18 males jumped from residential buildings. One woman and nine men intentionally fell from other buildings. All victims landed on concrete or pavement. Suicidal jumps occured from significantly higher places than accidental falls. The results of this analysis suggest that death usually occurs when distance is more than five storeys.

Suicide by Jumping from High-Rise Hotels

During a 20-year period from 1967 through 1986, 19 suicidal jumps from high-rise hotels (HRHs) accounted for 24% of all fatal jumping episodes and 1% of all suicides in Fulton County, Georgia, U.S.A. The rate of suicidal jumps from HRHs did not increase during the study period. The number of fatal jumps per hotel-year correlated with the height of the interior hotel atrium. The mean age for all victims was 34 years, and 63% of victims were white males. The majority of victims were local residents who were alone when they jumped and were not registered hotel guests. Registered guests tended to jump from the floor on which their room was located whereas nonregistered individuals tended to jump from the upper-most floors in the hotel. Of 19 HRH jumps, 13 occurred from the inside. Suicide notes were found in 37% of cases. HRH jumps were least common between 6 p.m. and midnight, all decedents were dressed in street clothing, only one was heard to have screamed, and all but one were dead on the scene. Alcohol and drug involvement was minimal. We hope that this information will be useful to those who investigate such deaths and to those who study the behavioral manifestations of suicide.

Paraplegia in women.

In the period 1965-80, 125 women were treated because of paralysis or paresis of the lower extremities resulting from spinal trauma. In this report the causes of trauma, as well as the clinical and functional treatment of this group are discussed. The most frequent causes of trauma were falls from heights, from a tree, a ladder, a horse-cart as well as suicidal jumps and road accidents. It was ascertained that the results of treatment of spinal cord injuries in the upper thoracic segment are worse than in its lower part. These results do not differ from men with similar degrees and neurological levels of spinal cord injury. On the other hand the duration of treatment is longer in women than in men with the same degree of spinal cord lesion, amounting on the average to 17.4 weeks.

Schizophrenics and the significance of their suicidal jumping (author's transl)

Schizophrenics and the significance of their suicidal jumping (author's transl)

Suicidalabsprung von der Kleinebelts-Br�cke

Some famous towers, mountains and bridges appear to be favourite places for suicidal jumping (thantopedamy). This is to a small degree the case even with the Danish “Lillebaelt-bridge”. One such case, which displayed peculiar circumstances, is reported, and a total of 11 cases, including three instances of survival, are mentioned in tables. Psychological contagious mechanisms are considered important in the choice of this suicidal method.