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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission MECAPnews MEDICAL EXAMINERS AND CORONERS ALERT PROJECT

April 2021

MECAP Reports | Page 2

Asphyxia/Suffocation Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Submersion

MECAP Reports | Page 3

Fire All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) Electrocution Fatalities Involving Other

MECAP Contact | Page 4 The following pages summarize MECAP reports Yolanda Nash received by CPSC selected for follow-up Program Analyst investigation. The entries include a brief Division of and Injury Data description of the incident to illustrate the type and Systems Directorate for Epidemiology nature of the reported fatalities. This important information helps CPSC carry out its mission to U.S. Consumer Product Safety protect the public from product-related injuries and Commission . 4330 East-West Highway Bethesda, MD We appreciate your support; please continue to 20814 report your product-related cases to us. [email protected] 1-800-638-8095 x7502 or 301-504-7502

*Cases selected for CPSC follow-up investigation

Asphyxiation/ down to sleep in a toddler basement stairs. The Suffocation bed with multiple heavy electric power had been blankets. The next morning, shut off, and the generator *A 7-year-old female was the mother found the was used to provide power. discovered by her mother decedent positioned face EMS measured the carbon unresponsive in bed with a down in the soft bedding monoxide level at 500 ppm. balloon pulled over her face. and blankets. Despite The cause of was The decedent became emergency efforts, the carbon monoxide poisoning. entangled with a helium infant was pronounced dead balloon tied to her bed and at the hospital. The cause Submersion suffocated. EMS of death is pending. transported her to a local *A 3-year-old male was hospital, where she died 3 A 4-year-old male aspirated found floating in an in- days later. The cause of a thumbtack. The decedent ground pool at death was complications of was at home playing with his home. The mother had asphyxiation due to extrinsic his brother, and the brother briefly directed her attention obstruction of airway- witnessed the decedent to her older child to help smothering. placing the thumbtack in his with her homework. mouth and collapse to the Minutes later, the decedent A 4-week-old male died floor. He was taken to a was missing. The mother while sleeping in a full-size local hospital and and grandmother searched bed. The decedent was resuscitated. The for the decedent, and the sleeping on his back next to thumbtack was surgically grandmother found the child his mother. The mother removed. After further floating face down in the woke up and discovered the complications, the child died pool in the rear of the decedent underneath her, a few days later. The cause residence. A wooden fence lifeless. Emergency rescue of death was aspiration. surrounded the pool. The transported the decedent to door to the fence was the hospital. Despite Carbon Monoxide propped open for an resuscitative efforts, he was Poisoning unknown reason, which pronounced dead. The allowed the child to gain cause of death was A 53-year-old male was access to the pool. The unspecified. discovered unresponsive in cause of death was his apartment, lying on the . A 5-month-old male was floor beside two portable discovered unresponsive gas generators. The while sleeping in a toddler generators were positioned bed. The infant was placed at the bottom of the

A 47-year-old male resided with their nephew. drowned in an in-ground Both decedents were heavy Electrocution . The smokers. The decedents decedent was at a private used a stove to heat the A 63-year-old male died pool party with other house and smoke. The from electrocution while friends. At some point, his nephew was sleeping trimming trees. The friends left the pool, and the upstairs and was awakened decedent’s power saw decedent was alone. The by the smoke alarm. He was came into contact with an decedent’s wife discovered unable to go downstairs due overhead 7,200-volt power him at the bottom of the to the smoke, and called out line. The decedent pool. He was removed to his uncle. The uncle sustained electrical burns from the pool and began yelled that a chair was on with charring of the palms with labored fire. The nephew jumped of both hands and wrists. . Fire Rescue out of the second-floor The cause of death was arrived at the scene and window. The fire department electrocution with cardiac transported him to the confirmed both brothers arrest. hospital, where he died in were dead on the scene. the emergency room. The The cause of death was Fatalities Involving Other cause of death was acute carbon monoxide Hazards drowning. intoxication and thermal burns. A 37-year-old male died FIRE from a crushing injury to his ATV/UTV neck while lifting barbell *A 63-year-old female died alone at the gym. from a candle fire. The Three people were hit by a The decedent was decedent was trying to blow car and killed while riding discovered in out a candle when she an ATV. The decedents by a security guard. The dropped it on the floor, were a 7-year-old female, a guard removed the - subsequently catching her 13-year-old female and the lifting apparatus off of the pants on fire. She stumbled decedents’ father was decedent. Fire and Rescue and fell, sustaining injuries driving. No one was transported him to the to her face. The cause of wearing any safety hospital. Despite all life- death was complications of equipment. The ATV saving efforts, the decedent thermal cutaneous injuries. overturned on its side. The expired. The cause of death vehicle was speeding over was and neck A 3-year-old-female died in 100 mph. The cause of compression. a house fire caused by a death was multiple blunt space heater and toaster injuries. A 40-year-old male died oven. The family was using from a severe head injury the items to stay warm. The *A 50-year-old male died while repairing an indoor decedent was sleeping while riding his ATV in an pool pump for a recreational when the fire began. She open field. The decedent center. The pump exploded was found in the living was not wearing any safety while the decedent was room. Four siblings taken to devices and was partially repairing the unit. The the hospital suffered smoke ejected when the ATV decedent was taken to the inhalation. The children’s overturned. The roll bar hospital and placed on life ages ranged from 5-years- landed on the decedent’s support. The cause of death old to 10-years-old. The neck, and he was unable to was severe head trauma. children’s parents refused lift the ATV off of him. The medical attention. The decedent died on the cause of death of the 3- scene. The cause of death year-old female was smoke was external compression and soot inhalation. of the neck.

Two brothers, a 57-year-old and a 63-year-old, died in a house fire. The decedents

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The Medical Examiners and Coroners Alert Project There are several ways you can report a MECAP case: (MECAP) is designed to collect timely information on • ONLINE MECAP reporting at Internet portal: fatalities associated with consumer products. There are http://SaferProducts.gov thousands of types of consumer products under the • Phone: 1-800-638-8095 • Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Fax number: 301-504-0038 jurisdiction, and Commission staff needs your help in • E-mail to: [email protected] identifying potentially hazardous products or hazard • Postal Mail: patterns that contribute to deaths of consumers. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Medical Examiners and Coroners Alert Project (MECAP) Medical examiners and coroners should submit fatality Attn: Yolanda Nash reports and reports of harm or potential harm involving 4330 East-West Highway, Ste. 510 consumer products to CPSC. Guidelines for completing Bethesda, MD 20814 and submitting a MECAP report are located at: Yolanda Nash: [email protected], https://www.saferproducts.gov/IncidentReporting 1-800-638-8095 x7502, or 301-504-7502

Please contact CPSC to report fatalities that are associated with a consumer product. Every MECAP report is important to CPSC investigators and will be included in the CPSC’s incident database. All it takes is one MECAP report to alert the CPSC to a potentially hazardous product. The MECAP reports help CPSC staff to identify longstanding, hidden, and emerging product safety hazards. The data are crucial to reducing the risk of death and injury to consumers.

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