Reporting a Death

DEATHS -WHICH ARE REPORTABLE TO THE WILL COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE NOTIFICATION IN CASE OF DEATH BY VIOLENCE OR SUICIDE

Any person who discovers the body or acquires the first knowledge of the death of any person who died as a result of criminal or other violent means, or by casualty, or by suicide, or suddenly when in apparent health, or in any suspicious or unusual manner, shall immediately notify the office of the coroner of the known facts concerning the time, place, manner and circumstances of such death, and of any other information which is required by the coroner.

In such cases, if the request for cremation is made, the funeral director called in attendance, shall notify the coroner immediately. No person shall willfully refuse to report such a death, or shall without an order from the coroner , willfully touch, remove, disturb the body of any person, or disturb the clothing or any article upon or near such body.

NOTIFICATION BY PHYSICIAN IN CASE OF DEATH BY VIOLENCE OR SUICIDE

When any person dies as a result of criminal or other violent means, or by casualty , or by suicide, or suddenly when in apparent health, or in any suspicious or unusual manner, the physician called in attendance shall immediately notify the office of the coroner of the known facts concerning the time, place, manner and circumstances of such death, and any other information required by the coroner. In such cases, if a request is made for cremation, the funeral director called  in attendance shall immediately notify the coroner.

1. ACCIDENTAL DEATHS.    All forms including death arising from employment.

1. Anesthetic Accident (death on the operating table or prior to recovery from anesthesia).
2. Blows or other forms of mechanical violence.
3. Burns.
4. Crushed beneath falling objects.
5. Cutting or stabbing.
6. Drowning (actual or suspected).
7. Electric shock.
8. Explosion.
9. Exposure.
10. Firearms.
11. Fractures of bones (not pathological).  Such cases to be reported even when fracture is not primarily responsible for death.
12. Falls.
13. Carbon monoxide poisoning (resulting from natural gas, automobile exhasust or other).
14. Hanging.
15. Heat exhaustion.
16. Insolation (sunstroke).
17. Poisoning (food poisoning, occupational or other).
18. Strangulation.
19. Suffocation (foreign object in bronchi, by bed clothing or other means).
20. Vehicular accidents (automobile, street-car, bus, railroad, motorcycle, bicycle or other).

2. HOMICIDAL DEATHS

3. SUICIDAL DEATHS

4. ABORTIONS - Criminal or self-induced. When the manner of death falls within the above classification, such a death must be reported to the coroner even though the survival period subsequent to onset is 12 months.

5. SUDDEN DEATHS. When in apparent health or in any suspicious or unusual manner including:
   1. Alcoholism.
   2. Sudden death on the street,at home,in a public place,at place of employment.
   3. Deaths under unknown circumstances, whenever there are no witnesses or where little or no information can be elicited concerning the deceased person.  Death of this type include those persons whose dead bodies are found in the open, in places of temporary shelter, on their homes under conditions which offer no clues as to the cause of death.
   4. Deaths which follow injuries sustained at place of employment whene4ver the circumstances surrounding such injury may ultimately be the subject of investigation.