Trends in United States Mass Fatality Incidents and Recommendations for Medical Examiners and Coroners

The authors collected information from incidents with more than ten fatalities in the United States between 2000 and 2016, finding 137 such incidents. They examined the characteristics of the incidents, whether the incident was human caused or natural (e.g., mass shooting or hurricane). While plans often assume large numbers of fatalities, the authors emphasize the need for local authorities to plan to manage smaller incidents on their own. The authors also encourage medicolegal jurisdictions to work closely with incident command to ensure fatality management priorities are met immediately following an incident (e.g., notifications, forensics, and transparent communication).