Cause of Death According to the Mechanism of Injury in Farm Tractor Fatalities.

In this study, we investigated fatal farm tractor-related injuries in Central Serbia over the 24-year period, focusing on the characteristics and mechanisms of injuries, causes of death, and key accident-causing and contributing factors for these fatalities. This epidemiological, analytical, retrospective, cross-sectional autopsy study included 1970 medicolegal deaths recorded between 2001 and 2024 within the territory of Central Serbia. During this period, 41 cases were reported as tractor-related fatalities. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was analyzed for all victims who died at the scene of the accidents, as well as those who survived <24 hours after the incident. Tractor rollovers were the leading mechanism of fatal injury, with the highest chance being for traumatic asphyxia as the cause of death. The second most common mechanism of injury was being run over by a tractor. The typical farm tractor driver, who is fatally injured in Central Serbia, is male, over 65 years old, with a mean BAC of 1.76±0.23‰. Rolling over is the most common mechanism of injury for farm tractor drivers.