Pattern and Distribution of Injuries Associated with Railway Track Accidents in Haryana: An Autopsy-based Two-year Retrospective Study

Railway track accidents constitute a significant cause of unnatural deaths in India due to extensive railway networks traversing densely populated areas. These incidents frequently result in severe polytrauma, posing important medicolegal challenges in determining the pattern of injuries, cause of death, and manner of death. A retrospective autopsy-based study was conducted on 61 fatal railway track accident cases at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Pt BD Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, Haryana, over a two-year period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023. Data regarding age, sex, manner of death, and pattern and distribution of injuries were analyzed from autopsy records and police inquest documents. The most affected age group was 21–40 years. Males predominated with 59 cases (96.72%), while females accounted for two cases (3.28%), with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 30:1. Accidental deaths constituted the majority (49 cases; 80.30%), followed by suicidal deaths (12 cases; 19.67%); no homicidal cases were observed. Crush injuries were most commonly observed in the lower limbs, followed by the upper limbs, face, and head. Railway track fatalities predominantly involve young adult males and are largely accidental in nature. The characteristic pattern of crush injuries, particularly involving the lower limbs, highlights the high-energy impact associated with train-related trauma. Understanding these injury patterns is essential for accurate medicolegal interpretation and for guiding preventive safety measures.