(1) Death investigations shall be under the direction of the district medical examiner and the district attorney for the county where the death occurs.
(2) For purposes of ORS 146.003 to 146.189, if the county where death occurs is unknown, the death shall be deemed to have occurred in the county where the body is found, except that if in an emergency the deceased is moved by conveyance to another county and is dead on arrival, the death shall be deemed to have occurred in the county from which the body was originally removed.
(3) The district medical examiner or a designated assistant medical examiner for the county where death occurs shall be immediately notified of:
(a) All deaths requiring investigation; and
(b) All deaths of persons admitted to a hospital or institution for less than 24 hours, although the medical examiner need not investigate nor certify such deaths.
(4) No person having knowledge of a death requiring investigation shall intentionally or knowingly fail to make notification thereof as required by subsection (3) of this section.
(5) The district medical examiner or deputy medical examiner shall immediately notify the district attorney for the county where death occurs of all deaths requiring investigation except for those specified by ORS 146.090 (1)(d) to (g).
(6) All peace officers, physicians, embalmers, supervisors of penal institutions and supervisors of hospitals or institutions caring for the ill or helpless shall cooperate with the medical examiner by providing requested medical records, tissue samples and other materials necessary to conduct the death investigation and shall make notification of deaths as required by subsection (3) of this section. [1973 c.408 §13; 1985 c.207 §22; 1995 c.744 §14]
Section: Previous 146.075 146.080 146.085 146.087 146.088 146.090 146.095 146.100 146.103 146.105 146.107 146.109 146.110 146.113 146.115 NextLast modified: August 7, 2008