This website is making a big deal about an autopsy, arguing
it is suspicious: http://www.bushwatch.net/lori.htm
I’d like to know from some medical experts exactly how
likely the conclusions of the autopsy sound. From the
website:
… reported in the local papers on Tuesday, August 7 as
follows: “While a blow to the head was ultimately
responsible for the death of Lori Klausutis, an undiagnosed
heart condition caused her to collapse and take a fatal fall
July 19, a local medical examiner ruled Monday. The
28-year-old aide to U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough probably would
have died as a result of the cardiac arrhythmia that
rendered her unconscious even if she had not hit her head
on a desk. Those are the findings of Okaloosa County
Associate Medical Examiner Michael Berkland, who spent an
estimated 80 hours unraveling the cause of Klausutis’ death.
Berkland announced his findings in a news release Monday.
Berkland’s report labels her death “accidental” and brings
to a close an investigation that had dragged on despite an
early determination that no foul play was involved.”
Caveat: I am not a coroner. I just skimmed the link, but I don’t really find it credible to say that a ‘valve irregularity’ would cause a fatal arrhythmia. I’d have to assume from context he’s talking about mitral valve prolapse, but it’s not asssociated with ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, which are the only arrhythmias that tend to lead to quick death. It sounds odd to me. Unless she was wearing a heart monitor when she went down, I don’t think they can say much about her heart rhythm.
Qadgop, MD
I said medical experts, but I am also wondering about the
physics of falling and hitting your head on a desk. What
are the chances this could be a fatal blow? So physics
experts please help as well.
Your skull isn’t as thick as everyone tells you it is. 
The area around your temples is actually fairly fragile, comparatively speaking, and yes, getting hit “just right” at that location can kill you.
Well I just did a little calculation myself. The website
I cited in the OP quotes someone as saying it was probably
mitral valve prolapse. Another website gives an upper bound
on the incidence of mitral valve prolapse of 3 percent
(http://www.cardiodoc.net/mitral_valve.htm).
Duck Duck Goose quotes someone saying that in softball you
have a 1 in a million chance of suffering a fatal head
injury. Let’s assume that falling your office has the same
chance. Then assuming independence we have a probability
of .03*.000001=.00000003
Doesn’t look like a likely explanation from my layman’s
point of view.
Oops Duck Duck Goose’s quote says it wouldn’t happen again
in a million years. Not that the chances are one in a
million. But still it looks unlikely.
2 cents worth: As a kid, I remember a very similar fatal accident occurring among a group of kids playing in a then-empty lot near to where I lived at the time. And I only FEEL like I’m a million years old.
But to me, it the death of the aide sounds like something that could have happened, but was not well described.
The chance of head injury given loss of consciousness is significantly higher than 1 in a million. You’re basically dropping your body from a height without any attempt to brace for the impact. Not something that happens when you are conscious.