Injuries Sustained from High Velocity Impact with Water

Lukas, Garron M.; Hutton, J. Thomas; Lim, Robert C.; Mathewson, Carleton

doi:10.1097/00005373-198108000-00004

Cited by 53 publications

(33 citation statements)

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“…More than 75% of patients had haemoperitoneum because of splenic or hepatic rupture or both. Intracranial injuries occurred in 42% (Lukas et al, 1981).…”

Section: Biomechanical Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our understanding of injury pattern and injury severity is based on autopsy studies as well as studies on survivors of free fall. Autopsy studies highlight massive head injury, intra-abdominal injury to solid organs and, to a lesser extent, intrathoracic injury as being the predominant pattern of lethal injury (Lewis et al, 1965;Isbister and Roberts, 1992;Risser et al, 1996;Gupta et al, 1982;Lukas et al, 1981). However, it is the survivors of free fall that present the clinician with major challenges.…”

Section: Pattern Of Injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Free fall trauma

Tan

Porter²

2006

Trauma

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In the abrupt vertical deceleration that occurs on impact after a free fall, tissue damage is caused by the absorption by the body of the energy accumulated during the free fall. Patients sustain a unique injury pattern that is predicatably different from that seen with other forms of blunt multiple trauma. The present paper reviews the pathophysiology and pattern of injury sustained following free fall.

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“…More than 75% of patients had haemoperitoneum because of splenic or hepatic rupture or both. Intracranial injuries occurred in 42% (Lukas et al, 1981).…”

Section: Biomechanical Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pattern Of Injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Free fall trauma

Tan

Porter²

2006

Trauma

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“…The only reported injuries from plunge-diving occur from bird-on-bird collisions (19). However, for humans, diving into water at speeds greater than 26 m/s risks severe fractures in the cervical or thoracic vertebrae and speeds greater than 30 m/s risk death, regardless of impact orientation (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). Understanding the bird plunge-dive may further explain methods of injury prevention in human diving.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

How seabirds plunge-dive without injuries

Chang

Croson

Straker

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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In nature, several seabirds (e.g., gannets and boobies) dive into water at up to 24 m/s as a hunting mechanism; furthermore, gannets and boobies have a slender neck, which is potentially the weakest part of the body under compression during high-speed impact. In this work, we investigate the stability of the bird's neck during plunge-diving by understanding the interaction between the fluid forces acting on the head and the flexibility of the neck. First, we use a salvaged bird to identify plunge-diving phases. Anatomical features of the skull and neck were acquired to quantify the effect of beak geometry and neck musculature on the stability during a plunge-dive. Second, physical experiments using an elastic beam as a model for the neck attached to a skull-like cone revealed the limits for the stability of the neck during the bird's dive as a function of impact velocity and geometric factors. We find that the neck length, neck muscles, and diving speed of the bird predominantly reduce the likelihood of injury during the plunge-dive. Finally, we use our results to discuss maximum diving speeds for humans to avoid injury.diving | seabirds | buckling | injury | water entry N ature contains several species of creatures that interact with the air-water interface (1). A number of bird species are able to dive into water from the air as a hunting mechanism (e.g., kingfishers, terns, and gannets), a behavior known as plunge-diving (2, 3). Some seabirds, like the northern gannet, are highly specialized plunge-divers, making 20-100 dives per foraging trip, diving from heights of 5-45 m, and attaining speeds of more than 20 m/s (4-7). Thus, the bird's structure and behavior have presumably evolved to withstand a variety of high dynamic stresses, because no injuries have been reported in plunge-diving seabirds. Biologists have previously focused on the diving behavior in terms of ecological factors, such as diving depths, prey species, and hunting success rate (8-10), and physiological features, such as the role of vision while crossing the air-water interface (11,12). Unique kinematic and morphological features during the dive have also been observed, such as having a sharp, arrow-like body posture and a straight, long, and slender neck (13,14). However, a mechanical understanding of plunge-diving birds is not well-established.To study such a phenomenon, Morus bassanus (hereafter gannets) and Sula leucogaster (hereafter boobies), from the Sulidae family, are used as a model species due to their highly specialized diving characteristics (5, 13). First, they plunge-dive at very high speeds, using that momentum to carry them to some depth. Then, they use their webbed feet and/or wings to propel themselves further underwater, like penguins and cormorants (15, 16). Although plunge-diving at high speeds allows the bird to dive deeper, it induces much larger stresses on the seabird's body than pursuit diving alone (13). The two main forms of plunge-diving observed are known as the V-shaped dive and the U-shaped dive (5). During ...

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“…Dostępne piśmiennictwo zawiera np. dane na temat śmiertelności ofiar różnego rodzaju upadków, skuteczności leczenia osób, które przeżyły upadek, a także opisy upadków na zróżnicowane podłoża [1][2][3]. W kręgu zainteresowań medycyny sądowej znajdują się przede wszystkim kwestie możliwości oceny okoliczności zdarzenia, w szczególności tych przypadków, w których zgon nastąpił wskutek upadku na twarde i nieodkształcalne podłoże.…”

Section: Wprowadzenieunclassified

“…Many different aspects of the issue have been discussed, and most authors are specialists in disciplines other than forensic science. For instance, currently available literature contains data on the mortality of victims of various kinds of falls treatment efficiency of survivors, as well as descriptions of falls on various impact surfaces [1][2][3]. From the forensic perspective, the most important aspects are those allowing one to assess the circumstances of the event, in particular in those cases where death was caused by impact on a hard and unrelenting surface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of the relationship between bodily injury severity and fall height in victims of fatal falls from height

Teresiński¹,

Milaszkiewicz²,

Cywka³

2016

amsik

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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.

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Injuries Sustained from High Velocity Impact with Water

Cited by 53 publications

References 0 publications

Free fall trauma

Free fall trauma

How seabirds plunge-dive without injuries

An analysis of the relationship between bodily injury severity and fall height in victims of fatal falls from height

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