Understanding Skeletal Injury Patterns in Falls From Heights
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Authors
Kominek , Sonia Michel
Issue Date
2023
Type
Thesis
Language
Keywords
Blunt Force Trauma , Death Investigation , Falls , Intersectionality
Alternative Title
Abstract
Data was collected at the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office and included a sample of 81 individuals between the ages of 18 and 92 years that had a cause of death related to a fall. Demographic variables and information regarding the death event were collected to ensure a holistic framework for interpretation. Multiple image modalities were used to identify the presence or absence of fractures per bone, which led to an additional value of total elements fractured per person. Statistical analyses were conducted to better understand the simple and multivariate relationships. In contrast to expected results, the findings indicate a stronger influence of extrinsic variables on overall traumatic injuries while the relationship between intrinsic variables and fractured elements per individual did not have a significant relationship. This research is demonstrative of comprehensive and multidisciplinary explorations of injury patterns to facilitate the forensic anthropological interpretations and to inform death investigative procedures.