Aim of the study: In Poland, approximately several hundred of individuals die due to falls from a height annually; in some cases, it is difficult to determine explicitly whether the fall was caused by an accident or suicidal attempt. The aim of the study was to verify the usefulness of the 14-point Berghaus scale for differentiation of fatal falls from a height resulting from accidents or suicides. Material and methods: The study material included the results of post-mortem examinations of 41 fatalities of falls from a height performed in the Department of Forensic Medicine in Lublin, which were confronted with the data from the records of prosecutor's proceedings. Conclusions: The analysis of materials confirmed high usefulness of the Berghaus score criteria to conclude whether the fall was accidental or resulted from suicide.
Aim of the study: One of the basic issues discussed in forensic literature regarding falls from a height is determination of fall heights and differentiation between suicidal and accidental falls. The aim of the study was to verify the usefulness of the available methods for the purposes of forensic expertises. Material and methods: The study encompassed fatalities of falls from a height whose autopsies were performed in the Department of Forensic Medicine in Lublin. Results: Similarly to other authors, the severity of injuries was assessed using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and injury severity score (ISS). The study findings demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between the fall height and the severity of injuries according to ISS and a statistically significant difference in fall heights between the groups of accidents and suicides.
Różnicowanie samobójczych i przypadkowych upadków z wysokości z wykorzystaniem metody Teh i wsp. Differentiation between suicidal and accidental falls from height using the method proposed by Teh et al.
Weryfikacja użyteczności metody określania wysokości śmiertelnych upadków opracowanej przez Lau i wsp. Verification of usefulness of the method for determining the height of fatal falls proposed by Lau et al.
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