Why a Private Autopsy

The mission of PathCounsel Private Autopsy Services is to provide a thorough and compassionate medical investigation of death.

Often families of the deceased are faced with confusion along with their bereavement, and want to determine the true medical facts pertaining to their loved one’s death.  We perform private autopsies, second autopsies, exhumation autopsies, or review the findings from previous autopsies.

Autopsy clients are most often families who simply want to know what happened when a sudden unexpected death occurs.  Providing this PathCounsel Private Autopsy Service is the most important objective of our postmortem examinations.  We often discover unknown hereditary conditions as well, with important implications for surviving family.     

Autopsy clients can request full comprehensive evaluation of all organ systems, or request a limited evaluation of a selected organ system.  An example would be an autopsy limited to study of the lungs and pleura in a decedent with an occupational history of asbestos exposure. 

When such autopsies result in a diagnosis of mesothelioma, our Medical Director will follow these cases as they proceed through the litigation process.  This includes depositions and trial testimony, with which he has extensive experience. 

Examples of other situations in which autopsy findings can lead to legal claims would include medical malpractice, insurance settlements, product liability, and workman’s compensation. For compensation in these cases, the plaintiff’s attorney will need the pathologic expertise that we provide.