A 51-year-old Croatian man has died after falling down a 10-foot ladder – but medical experts in the journal Fore Forensic Pathology have reported that COVID-19 killed him.
What are the details?
A man – a construction worker – fell down a ladder while working at a job site in Croatia, the New York Post reported Thursday.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and was diagnosed with a cut and bruise on the head, but autopsy doctors determined that COVID-19 caused the accident because “the effects of the illness were unclear.”
In the report, the headline “” accidental death coming down from a height in the workplace turned out to be the death of COVID-19, “his bodily injuries were noted.
External examination of the body made by the coroner revealed vessels on both sides of his forehead, minor friction on the face and elbows, and a wound in the left arm, the report said. “Traces of blood were present on the ground near the head.”
However, in addition to the external injuries of the anonymous man, doctors reported that the man had previously had difficulty breathing before dying.
“During the ops topsy, doctors noticed that large parts of the man’s lungs were blocked,” the Post reported. “After this discovery, scientists concluded that he was suffering from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) – a life-threatening condition that can be caused by Covid-19.”
The man also tested positive for coronavirus during the postmortem, medical experts said.
“Only then, the investigation revealed that he was experiencing complaints consistent with a respiratory infection in the days leading up to his death,” the journal reported. “Based on all the findings, death was ruled as natural, caused by COVID-19.”
The report explains that the man also had type 2 diabetes and had been a smoker for decades.
“From [co-worker] Statements given to the police, we have learned that the deceased suffers from type-2 diabetes and has been smoking for decades.
The man’s colleagues told officers he was experiencing medical distress in the days leading up to his death.
“During the week following his death, he complained of headache, fatigue, fever, cough, chest discomfort and shortness of breath,” the report added. “He rejected the suggestion to see a doctor and continued to work until the moment he died.”
You can read more on the man’s ops topsy report here.
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