A rare case of a scuba diver's death due to propeller injuries of a desalination pump

• The incidence of injuries secondary to motor propellers is becoming more frequent.
• Sharp blades cause multiple injuries such as bruises, contusions, deep lacerations, fractures, mutilation and death.
• Autopsy and histological study of dismembered cadavers are necessary to determine the real phases of death.
• The study of pathophysiology and timing of death is fundamental to exclude industrial or personal liability.
• In our case report death resulted by drowning and hypovolemic shock.

Water skiing, boat racing, skin and scuba diving, as well as pleasure boat cruising are becoming increasingly popular hobbies. As a result, the incidence of injuries secondary to motor propellers is becoming more frequent. Injuries by propellers, amputation, death by drowning, and bleeding are rare reported events in forensic literature. The most common circumstances surrounding boat-propeller-related injuries are concerned with getting into or out of the boat, personal watercraft use or water skiing, and falling or being thrown from the boat. A case of a scuba diver's death that occurred during an illegal scuba fishing trip around a desalination plant is presented. A complete autopsy and histological study of all organs and surfaces of dismembered cadaveric sections, performed in order to determine the phases of death, are reported. An underwater scene investigation was conducted by an engineering team studying the mouth of the pump and the dynamic characteristic of rotating propeller blades.