Court authorises autopsy of unidentified man after July crash

According to mbl.is, Iceland’s Court of Appeal has authorised South Iceland police to carry out a forensic autopsy on an unidentified man who died in a traffic accident in July.

The court’s ruling, issued on July 30 and published recently, redacts details including the crash location and time. Based on the remaining information, mbl.is reports that the case appears to concern a fatal crash on Þrengslavegur in South Iceland on Sunday evening, July 26.

In that crash, a car left the road and overturned east of Litla-Sandfell. Two people were in the vehicle, and one was found without vital signs when emergency responders arrived.

The identity of the deceased and the cause of death remain unclear. The deceased and the other person in the vehicle are believed to have been foreign nationals. The other occupant was in intensive care and could not be questioned.

Evidence at the scene suggested that the driver may have lost control of the vehicle. A preliminary examination of the body had been carried out, but it did not establish the person’s identity or the cause of death.

Police said the passport of the person believed to have died had been reported stolen. A third party handed the passport to police and said it belonged to the deceased, but police did not consider that sufficient to confirm the person’s identity.

The District Court of South Iceland initially rejected the police chief’s request for an autopsy. The court expressed concern about authorising an autopsy when there was no suspicion of criminal conduct, while the deceased’s legal representative argued that obtaining a biological sample would be more appropriate.

The Court of Appeal has now overturned that decision and authorised the autopsy.