Citation

Harris AB, Gunther WM, Fantaskey AP, Weinstein LB. J. Forensic Sci. 2018; 63(6): 1892-1894.

Affiliation

Department of Physics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13765

PMID

29495068

Abstract

We present the case of a windblown beach umbrella inflicting fatal penetrating blunt force to the chest of a 55-year-old female beachgoer. A postmortem examination and detailed case history review were performed which revealed left ventricular trauma, determined to be the cause of death. Using recorded wind speeds from the date of the incident and the weight of the umbrella, we were able to calculate the pressure with which the umbrella struck the victim to be 16,000 PSI. Witness reports, medical records, scene details, and examination of a rental beach umbrella allowed the forensic pathologist to conclude that the object causing this woman's death was a windblown beach umbrella.

© 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

beach umbrella; chest trauma; forensic pathology; forensic science; penetrating blunt force; wind