In forensic pathology, deaths due to mechanical injuries (blunt, sharp, and gunshot) require an autopsy in order to determine the cause and manner of death through a detailed examination of viscera, soft tissues, and the skeletal system. Sometimes, such as in cases of severe putrefaction, only the skeleton is observable. In such cases, the absence of bony defects does not mean that a trauma-related death should not be considered: yet, how often will a lethal mechanical death produce a defect in the skeletal system? The present study involved a retrospective review of autopsy reports to investigate the frequencies of soft tissue and related skeletal injuries in cases of violent deaths. A total of 200 autopsy reports for cases of four mechanisms of injury including sharp force trauma (n = 50), gunshot (n = 50), blunt force trauma (n = 50), and mechanical asphyxia (n = 50) were examined. Manner of death, localization of bone fractures, and correspondence between external injuries and bone fractures were reported. Frequencies of bone fractures and degree of correspondence with soft tissue injuries for each trauma group were evaluated. The result showed that lethal blunt trauma always caused bone fractures; 94.0% of violent deaths by gunshot involved bones; 48.0% of sharp force soft tissue injuries involved the bone tissue; and hyoid bone fractures were observed in 20.0% of cases of mechanical asphyxia.

In forensic scenarios involving homicide, human remains are often exposed to fire as a means of disposal and/or obscuring identity. Burning human remains can result in the concealment of traumatic injury, the creation of artifacts resembling injury, or the destruction of preexisting trauma. Since fire exposure can greatly influence trauma preservation, methods to differentiate trauma signatures from burning artifacts are necessary to conduct forensic analyses. Specifically, in the field of forensic anthropology, criteria to distinguish trauma from fire signatures on bone is inconsistent and sparse. This study aims to supplement current forensic anthropological literature by identifying criteria found to be the most diagnostic of fire damage or blunt force trauma. Using the skulls of 11 adult pigs (Sus scrofa), blunt force trauma was manually produced using a crowbar and flat-faced hammer. Three specimens received no impacts and were utilized as controls. All skulls were relocated to an outdoor, open-air fire where they were burned until a calcined state was achieved across all samples. Results from this experiment found that blunt force trauma signatures remained after burning and were identifiable in all samples where reassociation of fragments was possible. This study concludes that distinct patterns attributed to thermal fractures and blunt force fractures are identifiable, allowing for diagnostic criteria to be narrowed down for future analyses.

Blunt force trauma is the most common injury found during autopsies. Among the cases involving blunt force injuries, fractures to the skull are the most frequent, and these are often fatal to the victim. Understanding the circumstances surrounding the creation of such injuries is essential for investigating trauma-related deaths. This paper explores the characteristics of cranial trauma produced following one to three consecutive blows with a series of blunt objects. Fourteen Synbone® spheres filled with porcine gelatine and coated with rubber skin were used to simulate the human skull in a series of experiments. Trials recreated two scenarios, individuals standing and individuals with their head resting against a hard surface. Six blunt objects were used to represent possible weapons. Each sphere was struck twice to generate fracture patterns, which were then analysed. In most simulations of a blow to the head resting against a hard surface, the first fracture follows a linear pattern regardless of the direction of force and/or the surface of the weapon; while the second blow results in a depressed fracture. In the case of a free moving head, weapons with large contact surfaces result in depressed fractures, while weapons with small contact surfaces may not cause a fracture at all. Our results are consistent with Moritz who stated that, if the head is free to move, the fractures will be linear or incompletely depressed. Inversely, if the head rests against a solid surface, a blow will result in a depressed fracture. More experiments are needed to verify these preliminary observations.

A retrospective study was undertaken at Forensic Science South Australia of all homicides in individuals aged <18 years from January 1970 to December 2014. 166 cases were identified (M:F = 1.5:1). The number of cases steadily declined, with the highest numbers and death rate occurring between 1970 and 1974 (N = 26; 0.37/100,000 population), and the lowest between 2010 and 2014 (N = 8; 0.1/100,000) (p < 0.01). Deaths were due to blunt force trauma (37%), gunshot wounds (19%), asphyxiation (18%), sharp force trauma (8%), poisoning (8%), burns (3%) and neglect (1%), or were undetermined (6%). There was a significant increase in numbers of accompanying nonfatal injuries (3.46 per case for 1970 and 1974, compared to 18.88 per case for 2010 and 2014). Thus, while both the absolute numbers and the rates of paediatric homicides declined significantly, numbers of nonlethal injuries increased. Whatever the underlying reason(s) for the increase in nonlethal injuries, fatal attacks on children in South Australia appear to be becoming more violent.

The term \'B.A.S.E jump\' refers to jumping from a building, antenna, span (i.e., bridge) or earth (i.e., cliff) structure, and parachuting to the ground. There are numerous hazards associated with B.A.S.E jumps which often result in injury and, occasionally, fatality. This case report details the skeletal trauma resulting from a fatal B.A.S.E jump in Australia. In this case, the jumper impacted the ground from a fall of 439m in a feet-first landing position, as a result of a partially deployed parachute, under extreme vertical deceleration. Skeletal trauma was analyzed using full-body post mortem computed tomography (PMCT) and contextual information related to the circumstances of the jump as reported by the Coroner. Trauma to 61 skeletal elements indicates the primary impact was to the feet (i.e., feet-first landing), followed by an anterior impact to the body (i.e., fall forwards). Details of the individual fracture morphologies indicate the various forces and biomechanics involved in this fall event. This case presents the types of fractures that result from a B.A.S.E jump, and highlights the value of using PMCT and coronial data as tools to augment skeletal trauma interpretations.