Two cases of death following tree related injuries are presented. Two females, an elderly woman and a child, suffered severe head trauma from falling objects from trees — a falling coconut and a falling branch respectively. Although this mode of injury has been previously documented, there have been no prior reports of in-hospital deaths in such patients. This uncommon cause of death is reviewed and recommendations made concerning its prevention.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarssP. (1984) Injuries due to falling coconuts. J. Trauma.24, 990–1.
2.
BarssP.DakulalaP.DoolanM. (1984) Falls from trees and tree associated injuries in rural Melanesians. BMJ289, 1717–20.
3.
MlayS.M.SayiE.N. (1993) The management of depressed skull fractures in children at Muhimbili Medical Centre, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. East Afr. Med. J.70, 291–3.
4.
MulfordJ.S.OberliH.TovosiaS. (2001) Coconut palm-related injuries in the Pacific islands. Aust. N.Z. J. Surg.71, 32–4.
5.
MyersJ.R.HardD.L. (1995) Work-related fatalities in the agricultural production and services sectors, 1980–1989. Am. J. Ind. Med.27, 51–63.
