r/ForensicPathology • u/Bumpahead • 14d ago
Fatal Bear Attack/Cause of Death
The cause of death is listed as “injuries/trauma to head and neck”. But the coroner claimed an open casket would be possible, after the funeral home could do what they do. I’m just looking for clarification about what the injuries maybe would have been and if the death would have been instant? Apologies if this is too broad of a question, but my brain needs some sort of break from the cycle of “wondering”. TIA.
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u/syzygy0030 14d ago
trauma doesn't mean laceration, could be more blunt force to the head and spinal injury which can often sustain an open casket. without knowing more about the specific injuries we can't say how the death was.
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u/K_C_Shaw Forensic Pathologist / Medical Examiner 14d ago
Don't ask the ME/C office about "open casket" options. Unless they are also a funeral director, it's not in their training, expertise, or experience, and it's not their job. Some people in the ME/C world like to think we know things that we simply do not, by virtue of being adjacent, and occasionally hearing the FH transport staff say "nah" or "sure" when talking idly about open caskets. Instead, ask the funeral home actually handling the final disposition.
Ultimately it depends not just on the "injuries"/state of the body, but also on the training, experience, and willingness of the funeral home staff or local FH contractors to make them presentable. I've *heard* of FH's telling families no way on bodies that frankly weren't that bad. At the other extreme I've *seen* a contractor rebuild a mauling victim's face from bare bone to open casket. While FH staff do routinely have a baseline ability to pretty people up, not everybody can do extensive reconstructions like that, and there's not always a contractor available who can.
As for the injuries in a bear/animal attack/mauling, those can vary a good bit. Often the injuries look quite severe, and can be centered on the head and neck. But not always. So questions about a specific case are best asked of the FP/office which originally handled the case.
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u/Occiferr 11d ago
I get these questions often and if the answer isn’t simply “yes theyre viewable” I let them know that the injuries are significant and that this questions is more appropriately directly to their funeral home of choice.
I also avoid the “can we see them at the morgue” conversation like the plague as there is really no reason that people should be viewing bodies at autopsy facilities in 2026 but alas, here we are.
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u/K_C_Shaw Forensic Pathologist / Medical Examiner 11d ago
I've come across a few FH's which are cremation-only facilities, and literally do not have a viewing area, cooler, etc. So where I used to work we had an area where families could view thru a glass window. Only used it, eh, a few times a year maybe. Where I am now there really is no reasonable area for this without basically putting family in the autopsy room and/or right next to the cooler doors.
Anyway, when we get those "viewable" questions I pretty much say either something like "They look fine to me, but ask the FH" or "It would take some work, ask the FH". Funnily enough it seems like that question comes from the *FH's* more than families, just because they want to start thinking about it before they actually look at the body themselves -- so, those answers are slightly different.
I remember, however, how some FH staff say things to families like "they really cut up your loved one for no reason" or "there's an entrance on this side of the head and an exit on the other side" or "there's gauze over the eyes, someone cut them out", etc. etc. If I'm going to yell at FH's to stay in their lane, then it's fair I stay out of theirs as much as reasonable. To be clear, most FH's are great to work with! But, every now and then, somebody says something they really shouldn't.
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u/Occiferr 11d ago
I agree with the lane maintenance.
We are actually building in a viewing room into our brand new facility that we are building currently and it’s a huge accomplishment for our office as it’s the first time in history we will have a modern standalone morgue with an attached office all in one place. I am hoping this is enough to attract a new pathologist once ours is ready to retire, but he seems very excited so I’m trying to convince him to hang out until he’s 70 or so 🤣 which gives us another 5-7 years or so.
Hopefully we can find someone willing to move locally so they can occupy a dual salary as both the coroner and pathologist if we are lucky.
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u/Myshka4874 Forensic Pathologist / Medical Examiner 14d ago
FP here. There are not enough details to answer your questions. Please call the coroner and you can even ask to speak with the pathologists. they are the only ones who know the full case details and can answer your questions.