Cattle-caused fatalities in a province of western Turkey: 1996-2010 autopsy results

Cattle-caused injuries and deaths are much more than predicted. The aim of this research is to determine the prevalence of cattle-caused fatalities and the factors affecting it in a province of western Turkey. The court files on cattle-caused fatalities during a 15-year period between 1996 and 2010 were explored. The proportion of forensic-qualified deaths from the total of 3753 was 0.9% (35/3753). Most of the cases were between the ages of 18 and 65 (60%). Most deaths occurred in the spring and summer months compared with autumn and winter months (9 and 22 vs. 3 and 1, respectively). The mortality rate was much higher in men compared with women (94.3% and 5.7%, respectively). The majority of deaths were caused by injuries on the chest (71.4%). The reason for most deaths was due to hemopneumothorax and lung injury (71.4%). Predicting the behavior of cattle may not always be possible, as such, it is advisable that one wears protective equipment when dealing with cattle.