Morphologic studies of high fall injuries.

OBJECTIVE

By studying the mode and morphologic character of high fall injuries on the scene, and exploring the injury situation of different heights, different fall ways and postures, to provide a reference for the forensic identification of high fall injury.

METHODS

All the high fall cases were statistically analysed according to their gender, age, ground-touching posture, fall height, site and type of the injury.

RESULTS

Among 134 high fall cases, 98 were male and 36 were female with the age ranging from 2-71 years (37.6+/-16.9 on average), in which, 10-60 years old group consisted of 110 cases (82%). Most cases fell from windows or roofs (73%) and the touching objects were cement ground or shaft bottom of elevators. Among these cases, head injury was generally serious, followed by chest and abdominal injuries. The morphologic changes depend upon the height, nature, as well as the posture at the point while the body touches the ground.

CONCLUSION

Morphologic study of high fall injury assists medicolegal physicians to make correct identifications of the cause and nature of high fall injuries.