Applications and limitations of Forensic Biomechanics: A Bayesian perspective

Freeman, Michael; Kohles, Sean S.

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2009.09.006

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…The RR from epidemiologic studies can be adapted to this 50% plus standard to yield a probability or likelihood that an agent caused an individual's disease” (, p. 383). Ordinarily, the purpose of the RR assessment in a civil litigation matter is to answer the “but for” question, “but for the putative cause, would this person have acquired the diagnosed injury or disease in the same time frame?” . In cases of injury following harmful biomechanics or disease following exposure to a toxin (injury/disease), a RR of >2.0 (where 1.0 ∉ confidence interval) is often used as a threshold above which causation is concluded to be present in legal settings and given as follows:

\frac{Risk of injury / disease among those exposed to hazard}{Base rate of injury / disease risk among unexposed} = RR .

…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ordinarily, the purpose of the RR assessment in a civil litigation matter is to answer the "but for" question, "but for the putative cause, would this person have acquired the diagnosed injury or disease in the same time frame?" (18,19). In cases of injury following harmful biomechanics or disease following exposure to a toxin (injury/disease), a RR of >2.0 (where 1.0 6 2 confidence interval) is often used as a threshold above which causation is concluded to be present in legal settings and given as follows:…”

Section: Forensic Standard For Causationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forensic Epidemiologic and Biomechanical Analysis of a Pelvic Cavity Blowout Injury Associated with Ejection from a Personal Watercraft (Jet‐Ski)

Freeman

Everson

Kohles

2012

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Jet-propelled personal watercraft (PWC) or jet-skis have become increasingly popular. The means of propulsion of PWC, which is a jet of water forced out of small nozzle at the rear of the craft, combined with a high risk of falling off of the seat and into close proximity with the water jet stream, raise the potential for a unique type of injury mechanism. The most serious injuries associated with PWC falls are those that occur when the perineum passes in close proximity to the jet nozzle and the high-pressure water stream enters the vaginal or rectal orifice. We describe the forensic investigation into a case of an anovaginal "blowout" injury in a passenger who was ejected from the rear seat position of a PWC and subsequently suffered life-threatening injuries to the pelvic organs. The investigation included a biomechanical analysis of the injury mechanism, a summary of prior published reports of internal pelvic injuries resulting from PWC falls as well as other water sports and activities, and a comparison of the severity of the injuries resulting from differing mechanisms using the New Injury Severity Score (NISS). The mean (± standard deviation [SD]) NISS values for reported PWC injuries [not including the NISS of 38 in this case study] were 11.2 (± 9.5), while the mean value for reported water-skiing falls was half that of the PWC group at 5.6 (± 5.2). It was concluded that the analyzed injuries were unique to a PWC ejection versus other previously described non-PWC-associated water sport injuries. It is recommended that PWC manufacturers help consumers understand the potential risks to passengers with highly visible warnings and reduce injury risk with revised seat design, and/or passenger seat "deadman" switches.

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\frac{Risk of injury / disease among those exposed to hazard}{Base rate of injury / disease risk among unexposed} = RR .

…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Forensic Standard For Causationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic Epidemiologic and Biomechanical Analysis of a Pelvic Cavity Blowout Injury Associated with Ejection from a Personal Watercraft (Jet‐Ski)

Freeman

Everson

Kohles

2012

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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“…This discipline has met the needs of the legal system in particular, with biomechanists increasingly acting as expert witnesses in a court of law [2]. Previous studies on the topic of stab penetration have focused on experimental testing alone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A combined experimental and numerical study of stab-penetration forces

Annaidh

Cassidy²,

Curtis³

et al. 2013

Forensic Science International

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Publication information Forensic Science International, 233 (1-3): 7-13Publisher Elsevier Item record/more information http://hdl.handle.net/10197/5939 Publisher's statementThis is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Forensic Science International. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Forensic Science International (233, 1-3, (2013) AbstractThe magnitude of force used in a stabbing incident can be difficult to quantify, although the estimate given by forensic pathologists is often seen as 'critical' evidence in medico-legal situations.The main objective of this study is to develop a quantitative measure of the force associated with a knife stabbing biological tissue, using a combined experimental and numerical technique. A series of stab-penetration tests were performed to quantify the force required for a blade to penetrate skin at various speeds and using different 'sharp' instruments. A computational model of blade penetration was developed using ABAQUS/EXPLICIT, a non-linear finite element analysis (FEA) commercial package. This model, which incorporated element deletion along with a suitable failure criterion, is capable of systematically quantifying the effect of the many variables affecting a stab event. This quantitative data could, in time, lead to the development of a predictive model that could help indicate the level of force used in a particular stabbing incident.

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“…Biomechanics has been demonstrated as an important but limited role in forensic investigation of death and injury. The discipline can be very helpful and relevant for analyzing how injuries occur and in differentiating between competing injury mechanisms for observed injuries, but it can result in error-prone conclusions for other applications [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We have previously described how forensic biomechanics is most reliable when used to explain how observed injuries occur, less reliable when evaluating competing hypothetical explanations for an observed injury, and least reliable when used to refute the presence of observed injuries [2]. As an example, a group of authors have described 20 femur fractures occurring in restrained occupants in frontal collisions, some at unexpectedly low speeds (16 km/h) [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evaluation of applied biomechanics as an adjunct to systematic specific causation in forensic medicine

Freeman

Kohles

2011

Wien Med Wochenschr

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Biomechanical tests of post hoc probability have been proposed by prior authors as reliable tests of causation in forensic settings. Biomechanical assessment of injury kinetics and kinematics is a potentially important tool in forensic medicine, but there is also the potential for misapplication. The most reliable application is when biomechanical analysis is used to explain injury mechanisms, such as how an injury may have occurred. When a biomechanical analysis is used as a means of determining whether, rather than how an injury has resulted from a traumatic exposure, then a lack of reliability of the methodology limits its application in forensic medicine. Herein, we describe a systematic assessment of causation by adapting established general causation principles to specific causation scenarios, and how biomechanical analysis of injury mechanics is properly used to augment such an approach in conjunction with the principles of forensic epidemiology. An example calculation of relative risk associated with cervical spine injury is provided as a representative probabilistic metric for assessing causation. The statistical benefits and limitations of biomechanical analysis are discussed as an adjunct to forensic medicine.

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Applications and limitations of Forensic Biomechanics: A Bayesian perspective

Cited by 11 publications

References 29 publications

Forensic Epidemiologic and Biomechanical Analysis of a Pelvic Cavity Blowout Injury Associated with Ejection from a Personal Watercraft (Jet‐Ski)

Forensic Epidemiologic and Biomechanical Analysis of a Pelvic Cavity Blowout Injury Associated with Ejection from a Personal Watercraft (Jet‐Ski)

A combined experimental and numerical study of stab-penetration forces

An evaluation of applied biomechanics as an adjunct to systematic specific causation in forensic medicine

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