Gasoline exposure in motor vehicle accident fatalities.

Three cases are described in which deaths after motor vehicle accidents occurred as a result of positional asphyxia associated with exposure to gasoline. The deceased individuals were aged 16, 34, and 35 years, respectively (M:F = 1:2) and had all been in the back seat of motor vehicles involved in rollover accidents that had resulted in spilling of gasoline with contamination of the cabins. Major components of gasoline were detected in blood and tissues by headspace gas chromatography. Postmortem toxicologic investigations of such cases, which include analyses for volatile hydrocarbons, may therefore produce additional significant information.