[Recreational boating accidents--Part 2: Causes of accidents and deaths].

According to Naeve, forensic medicine also deals with medical topics concerning accidents associated with watercrafts. This field is not limited to the open sea but also refers to rivers and lakes. In the presented study, fatal boating accidents were investigated over a period of four decades. The majority of the victims died from hypothermia and drowning. The article points out the difficulty to prove hypothermia in cases with a short survival time. Medical expert opinions on deaths due to boating accidents must not ignore the results of the technical and nautical investigations--the more so as the hydrometeorological situation may be crucial for the outcome. Too little attention is still paid to circulatory shock occurring in connection with the pathophysiology of hypothermia and drowning, although it may have a decisive influence on the effectiveness of rescue measures. The final assessment of fatalities in users of watercrafts should always be left to experienced specialists.