SEX: Male MARITAL STATUS: N/A COMMUNITY: Iqaluit, NT RESIDENCE: Iqaluit, NT D.O.D. July 21,1997 D.O.B. February 25, 1997 AGE: 4 months, 27 days WHERE DEATH OCCURRED: Baffin Regional Hospital, Iqaluit, NT AUTOPSY: yes INQUEST: no TOXICOLOGY EXAMINATION: no CAUSE OF DEATH: Part I a) craniocerebral trauma CLASSIFICATION:Accidental BRIEF HISTORY: This 4 month old baby was being carried in a amouti by his mother as they walked along a roadway. Her husband was walking with them and carried the 4 month old s twin brother. A front end loader/forklift towing an empty flatbed trailer approached them from behind and was headed in the same direction. The husband and second infant crossed the road to walk on the other side. The mother and the decedent remained on the same side as before. As the flatbed trailer passed them, one of the dual wheels dislodged from the axle and accelerated toward the mother. She was struck from behind and was pushed upward and outward toward the ditch. She landed on her back with the infant under her. The trailer unit continued on its course and did not stop. The husband went to the aid of his wife and child. The mother sustained several cuts, bruises and broken bones while the infant appeared at first to have suffered minor injuries. The child had a visible bump on his head and some minor bruising. Ambulances were called and arrived at the scene. Shortly after the incident it became apparant that the baby was having trouble breathing. Resuscitation efforts began and were continued enroute and upon arrival at the hospital. All resuscitation efforts failed and the child was pronounced dead at 18:50 hours by the attending physician. The mother was admitted to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. An autopsy was ordered and performed in Toronto, Ontario. At autopsy severe head injuries were visible with a complex fracture of the left side of the head which extended to the base of the skull. The brain was swollen but not lacerated. There was bleeding present both under the scalp and under the skull. The baby s left forearm was fractured and there was a fracture of the right first rib. The nature of the head injury suggests a crushing injury rather than a high velocity impact injury which is consistent with the mother being thrown up and then down on the baby from the impact. There were no other injuries or natural disease processes to account for death, however there was evidence of granulomatous inflammation in the skin, marrow and liver which could indicate tuberculosis exposure. Given the investigation, evidence and autopsy results, I find that he died from craniocerebral trauma due to a pedestrian motor vehicle accident. I further classify this death as accidental. COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The investigation revealed that neither the loader or trailer used were licenced or registered for road or highway use. Following the incident, a mechanical inspection was performed on the trailer unit by a licenced mechanic who determined that the bearings in the wheel in question were dry and had siezed during use.
Loose Wheel Management System is Biggar-based company (Saskatchewan, Canada) with a phone number 3069485214. Our data show that the company is located at the address: PO Box 669. The company has a web site: www.wheelex.com.
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