The Study of Pattern of Injuries in Fatal Cases of fall from Height

Abstract

Objectives: To study the various pattern of injuries from fall from height. Background: Deaths due to fall from height, form an important area of study due to diversity of the injuries sustained, complexity of the patterns involved and various phenomenon’s associated there with. The medico-legal autopsy aims at deciding whether the death was attribute purely to the height. It also helps in ruling out the various contributing factors like drugs, alcohol and co-existing natural disease. Methods: The present study has been carried out in department of forensic medicine, M.S. Ramaiah medical college and hospital, Bangalore during the period October 2005 to May 2007, of all the cases of fall from height subjected for medico legal autopsy. Results: Fissure fracture of the skull and fracture of cervical spine was noticed when the fall occurred on to concrete from minimum height of 3 feet and on to hard soil from the height of 10 feet. Multiple rib fractures, fracture of clavicle and laceration of liver was noticed when the fall height was 7 feet on to concrete. Spleen and kidneys were damaged when height of fall was more than 20 feet on to hard surface. Fracture of upper limbs were seen in falls occurred on to concrete from height of 6 feet where as the fracture of lower limb was found when the fall height was more than 15 feet on to hard surface. Conclusion: The study of pattern of external and internal injury may together indicate the primary site of impact and height from which the fall has occurred. The determination of actual or probable anatomical site of primary impact may be useful in reconstruction of the events, which led to fatal falls. Presence of multiple blunt force injuries makes it hard to differentiate between falls induced injuries and those that have inflicted before the fall and often disagreement predominates regarding the height at which death results. Thus a careful study of total injury pattern is of vital importance in every case. In the difficult scenario of assessing the manner of death, meticulous autopsy in combination with visit to the scene of occurrence that includes observation of Ground nature and presence of any intervening object is of extreme help

Keywords

• Fall
• Height Site of Impact and Pattern of Injuries