Citation

Emrith TS, Mole CG, Heyns M. Aust. J. Forensic Sci. 2022; 54(1): 26-41.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00450618.2020.1781252

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Historically, bending impact to long bones has been thought to result in butterfly fragments with the apex opposite the side of impact. This theory is restrictive and may lead to erroneous reconstructions regarding impact events. The current study investigated the formation of butterfly fractures in dynamic three-point bending events and assessed the applicability and accuracy of methods for the inference of impact direction. Sixty ovine femora were subjected to drop tests of varying energy to either the anterior or posterior aspect. Butterfly type fractures were present in 73% of fractured specimens. The analysis demonstrated that the use of fracture surface morphology was superior to other methods, correctly reconstructing impact direction in all cases with complete butterfly fractures. Furthermore, this method could be applied to all cases displaying a degree of fracture with a 98.3% success rate. This study demonstrates the applicability of fractography to the inference of impact direction.

Language: en

Keywords

3-point bending; Blunt force trauma; butterfly fractures; fractography