Fetal death following maternal trauma: two case reports and a survey of the literature.

When a fetus dies after its mother has suffered trauma, questions often arise about whether the fetal death was linked to the maternal injury. Many state statutes make it a criminal act to cause the death of a fetus by injuring the mother. The authors present two cases in which fetal death resulted from maternal trauma. In addition, we review the pertinent literature on this subject and offer guidelines that may help forensic pathologists evaluate these difficult and often emotionally charged cases.