TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Preventable fatal injury during rally race: a multidisciplinary approach
JO  - International journal of legal medicine
A1  - Zerbo, Stefania
A1  - Bilotta, Clio
A1  - Perrone, Giulio
A1  - Malta, Ginevra
A1  - Re, Giuseppe Lo
A1  - Terranova, Maria Chiara
A1  - Argo, Antonina
A1  - Salerno, Sergio
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - INTRODUCTION: The motor vehicle crash (MVC) constitutes an important challenge for forensic pathology in order to identify the manner and cause of death. Our study focuses on a fatal accident during a rally race corresponding to MVC sub-category.     MATERIALS AND METHOD: Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) was performed before the conventional autopsy. Autoptic and PMCT data were compared. Data collection allowed analyzing biomechanical dynamics of the incident and post-traumatic injuries through qualitative-statistics and solicitation quantitative indices.     RESULTS: Photo and circumstantial evidence analysis showed a wrong installation of double shoulder belt system of head and neck support (HANS) collar. PMTC clearly highlighted multiple and bilateral fractures involving roof and base of skull; a displaced fracture of the right acetabulum was also encountered. Autopsy confirmed PMCT data and revealed a brainstem laceration. AIS (Abbreviated Injury Scale) achieved a maximum score in consideration of fatal injuries.     DISCUSSION: The injuries analysis resulting from photographic surveys examination, conventional autopsy, and PMCT has led us to confirm a fatal front collision with a tree trunk. Head trauma represents a major injury in the present case. In this case, head injuries, related to whiplash trauma, are a consequence of a double shoulder belt system (HANS collar component) wrong installation.     CONCLUSION: MVC and especially high-speed motor racing represent an important death cause. There was, for this reason, a marked development of cars and occupants' safety systems, such as HANS collar. PMCT improves the diagnostic performance of conventional autopsy and increases forensic medical knowledge related to traumatic injuries.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0937-9827
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02470-2
ID  - ref1
ER  -