N.Y. Public Health Law § 4143: Deaths without medical attendance; registration

§ 4143. Deaths without medical attendance; registration. 1. In case of

any death occurring without medical attendance, it shall be the duty of

the funeral director, undertaker or any other person to whose knowledge

the death may come, to give notice of such death to the coroner of the

county, or if there be more than one, to a coroner having jurisdiction,

or to the medical examiner.

2. When notified of any death occurring without medical attendance,

the coroner or medical examiner shall immediately investigate as

provided by law and shall certify as provided in subdivision three.

Provided, however, no coroner or medical examiner shall have the

authority to investigate a pregnancy loss as provided in section

forty-one hundred sixty-one of this article.

3. The coroner or medical examiner whose duty it is to investigate the

death and to execute the certificate of death, shall state in such

certificate the name of the disease causing death, or if from external

causes, the means of death; whether probably accidental, suicidal or

homicidal; and shall, in any case, furnish such information as may be

required by the commissioner in order to classify the death.

4. In case of any death occurring without medical attendance in the

county of Erie, it shall be the duty of the undertaker or other person

to whose knowledge the death may come, to notify the medical director of

such death, and when so notified the medical director shall immediately

investigate and certify as to the cause of death and shall, if such

medical director has reason to believe that the death may have been due

to an unlawful act or neglect, cause a proper investigation and

certification in accordance with the provisions of this section.

Provided, however, the medical director shall not have the authority to

investigate a pregnancy loss as provided in section forty-one hundred

sixty-one of this article.