Page 128 - CFDI Guide

II. Cause of Death Statement – Part I

Part I will be considered first. It is formatted so that sequential information is reported with ONE
CONDITION per line, starting with the most recent condition on the top line and going backward in

time on progressively lower lines. The following is a Natural death, not seen in Criminal Defense. In the
webinar for this section are four case scenarios from a motor vehicle collision – these are part of the

webinar course, Motor Vehicle Death and SBI Investigations. These provide the best context for how
specific events, medical conditions and evidence are used to certify deaths and complete the certifying

statements.

Part I
A. Most recent condition (e.g., Cardiac tamponade) Due to, or as a consequence of:

B. Next oldest condition (e.g., Ruptured myocardial infarction) Due to, or as a consequence of:
C. Oldest (original, initiating) condition (e.g., Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease)

In the example below, "atherosclerotic coronary artery disease" is the underlying cause of death.

Part I
A. Acute myocardial infarction Due to, or as a consequence of:

B. Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease

In the example, "acute myocardial infarction" was the final and fatal complication of underlying

coronary artery disease and is the immediate cause of death-- the final condition that was a
complication of the underlying cause of death and which directly culminated in death.

In Criminal Defense cases, the CFDI will see Homicide or Accident most often as the Manner of Death

(Manner of Death is the medical reason – not the legal reason). A decedent killed due to a motor
vehicle collision due to the negligence of another, who is charged with Careless Driving Resulting in

Death, is Accident – not Homicide.

Also important to Part I is the interval from onset of each contributory factor to death. This may be
seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. This is not exact and is a general statement –

which may include ‘Unknown’.

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