Frequency and Severity of Injuries in Correlation with the Height of Fall

• Published in: Journal of forensic sciences 2005-05, Vol.50 (3), p.1-5
• Main Authors: Atanasijevic, TC, Savic, SN, Nikolic, SD, Djokic, VM
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Autopsy; Biomechanical Phenomena; Craniocerebral Trauma - epidemiology; Craniocerebral Trauma - etiology; Craniocerebral Trauma - pathology; Falls; Female; Forensic pathology; Humans; Injuries; Male; Medical Records; Middle Aged; Models, Theoretical; Multiple Trauma - epidemiology; Multiple Trauma - etiology; Multiple Trauma - pathology; Retrospective Studies; Trauma Severity Indices; Wounds, Nonpenetrating - epidemiology; Wounds, Nonpenetrating - etiology; Wounds, Nonpenetrating - pathology; Yugoslavia - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0022-1198; 1556-4029
• DOI: 10.1520/JFS2004124

The main aim of this study was to examine the correlation between the height of fall and the frequency, extensiveness, and type of injuries of certain body regions and organs. The specific objective was to determine characteristic injuries of the analyzed body regions in relation to the certain height of fall. The study included 660 cases of fatal falls from height (469 males and 191 females). Results support the hypothesis that the frequency and extent of the injured body regions and organs are related to the fall height. Head injuries are characteristic of the falls from heights up to 7m and beyond 30 m. Brain injuries in high falls from heights beyond 30m show an absence of contre coup contusions and macroscopically evident intracranial bleeding. The extensiveness of chest injuries is significantly statistically associated with fall height. In cases of high falls, the frequency of abdominal injuries is not significantly statistically related to the height of fall. Liver injuries are the most common abdominal injury and the critical height of fall at which the liver injury occurs is 15 m. Injuries of liver and spleen are concomitant in high falls from heights beyond 24 m, irrespective of the manner of impact. The height of fall over 15m appears to be a reasonable boundary height beyond which the injuries of two or three body regions are generally associated.