Fall from height injuries

Abstract

The type of injuries sustained from fall from heights depends primarily on the fall height, the part of the body that suffered the first impact when hit the ground-primary contact, the age and weight of the victim’s body, clothes worn and the body composition. This study encompassed 60 casualties - bodies of victims of fatal falls from height, divided in three groups: fall from less than 7 meters (m), from 7 to 25 m, more than 25 m. The study analysed brain injuries, thoracic and abdominal organs, skull fractures, limb fractures, ribs and spine, as well as fractures of scapular and clavicular bones (analysed jointly). The study was focused on determining the frequency of the occurrence of different injuries, analysed one with other, that correlation depending on the height of the fall. The analysis on the number and severity of the injuries in correlation to the height of the fall showed that fractures of the hipbone and limbs were mostly present in the victims who had fallen from 7 to 25 m height. In the victims who had fallen from 7 m height, the most common injuries were fractures of the ribs and spine. In falls from height above 25 m, all organs were equally damaged. In all analysed cases, the most frequent cause of death was trauma shock, followed by cerebral contusion. Our data have shown that assessing only the pathological characteristics is not sufficient to determine the cause of death in fatal falls from heights.