Abstract
Accidents involving rail vehicles tend to be widely covered in the media. The light rail system in Cologne (KVB) is a combination of on- And off-road sections, and its rails run both on the surface and underground. While long-distance trains of Deutsche Bahn (DB) travel at speeds up to 330 km/h, the maximum speed of the Cologne light rail system is 80 km/h. In the present study, fatalities due to rail vehicle accidents from the autopsy material of the Institute of Legal Medicine in Cologne (2015 - 2016) were analyzed. During the study period, there were 11 fatal incidents on KVB tracks and 30 fatalities on the rail system of Deutsche Bahn. Analysis of the data revealed that most autopsies were performed on accidents and cases occurring under unclear circumstances. The total autopsy rate was 39 %. Considering the injury pattern it was noted that upon contact with DB trains 40 % of the cases led to decapitation, polytrauma with decapitation and/or amputations, whereas collisions with KVB trains mostly caused polytrauma with cranial involvement. A high percentage of the victims suffering fatal injuries were under the influence of alcohol.
| Translated title of the contribution | Differences between fatal incidents upon contact with a train or tram |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 54-61 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Archiv fur Kriminologie |
| Volume | 241 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Inter-city railway
- Light rail system
- Rail vehicles