How Do You Determine A Dry Drowning?
Medical examiners determine that about 15 percent of drowning victims have experienced dry drowning. Whether it is a wet or dry drowning, death occurs due to lack of oxygen or cardiac arrest from a low body temperature. There are certain things that happen during dry drowning, which may be evident upon examination. Step 1 Determine whether the victim entered a body of water forcefully from a high diving board or slid down a long steep slide. These two activities have been associated with dry drowning. The victim involuntarily suffocates by holding his breath or experiencing a muscle spasm of the larynx. Step 2 Decide if it’s possible the victim’s epiglottis was hit forcefully with droplets of water. This causes the flap to spasm and close over the windpipe. Once it is closed, water and air are unable to enter the lungs. Step 3 Notice whether someone is choking or gagging while they are in or around water. It may be an indication that water has hit the epiglottis and caused spasms. This
