W70 ICD-10-CA code: Drowning and submersion following fall into natural water
W70 is the ICD-10-CA code for “Drowning and submersion following fall into natural water” in CIHI’s FY 2026–2027 release, in effect from Apr 1, 2026.
Official description
W70Drowning and submersion following fall into natural water
Short description: Drowning submrs fall in natural water
ICD-10-CA · Canada
Index terms
Entries in CIHI’s alphabetical index that lead to W70. Searching the index by the condition the note names is how coders reach this code.
- Drowning (accidental), in, quarry, following fall
- Drowning (accidental), following fall, into, quarry
- Drowning (accidental), in, natural water (lake) (open sea) (river) (stream), following fall
- Drowning (accidental), following fall, into, water NEC, natural (lake) (open sea) (river) (stream)
Notes for W70
As CIHI prints them, with any note W70 takes from the headings above it.
Use additional code
Add a code for this detail when the note documents it.
- Use additional code from category U98.- to identify place of occurrence.From W65-W74 Accidental drowning and submersion
Excludes
Conditions classified elsewhere.
- Drowning and submersion due to:• cataclysm (X34-X39)• transport accidents (V01-V99)• water transport accident (V90.-,V92.-)From W65-W74 Accidental drowning and submersion
Note
- This chapter, which in previous revisions of ICD constituted a supplementary classification, permits the classification of environmental events and circumstances as the cause of injury, poisoning and other adverse effects. Where a code from this section is applicable, it is intended that it shall be used in addition to a code from another chapter of the Classification indicating the nature of the condition. Most often, the condition will be classifiable to Chapter XIX, Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98). Causes of death should preferably be tabulated according to both Chapter XIX and Chapter XX, but if only one code is tabulated then the code from Chapter XX should be used in preference. Other conditions that may be stated to be due to external causes are classified in Chapters I to XVIII. For these conditions, codes from Chapter XX should be used to provide additional information for multiple-condition analysis only.From Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01-Y98)
Where W70 sits
- 1ChapterChapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01-Y98)
- 2Block V01-X59Accidents
- 3Block W00-X59Other external causes of accidental injury
- 4Block W65-W74Accidental drowning and submersion
- 5Valid code W70Drowning and submersion following fall into natural water
Source and release
- Data release
- ICD-10-CA · FY 2026–2027
- Effective date
- Apr 1, 2026
- Publisher
- CIHI
This page is built from the ICD-10-CA catalog that Vero Codes reads when it suggests codes: Canadian Institute for Health Information’s FY 2026–2027 release, imported from the publisher’s file and checked against it. The description, notes and structured data come from the same record.
Frequently asked questions
What does ICD-10-CA code W70 mean?
W70 is the ICD-10-CA code for “Drowning and submersion following fall into natural water” in CIHI’s ICD-10-CA FY 2026–2027 release.
Where is W70 in ICD-10-CA?
W70 sits under W65-W74 Accidental drowning and submersion, within W00-X59 Other external causes of accidental injury, within V01-X59 Accidents, within Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01-Y98).
What coding notes apply to W70?
ICD-10-CA lists Use additional code, Excludes, Note notes for W70, including those from the headings it sits under. They are listed on this page with where each one comes from.
Which ICD-10-CA release does this page use?
It uses CIHI’s FY 2026–2027 release, in effect from Apr 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027. It is a reference: confirm the code against the current list and the payer’s rules before you submit it.
Codes beside W70
View W65-W74W65Drowning and submersion while in bath-tubW66Drowning and submersion following fall into bath-tubW67Drowning and submersion while in swimming-poolW68Drowning and submersion following fall into swimming-poolW69Drowning and submersion while in natural waterW73Other specified drowning and submersionW74Unspecified drowning and submersion