Forensic characterization of signs of exposure to damaging factors of an explosion

BACKGROUND: The use of explosives of different configurations in a confined space affects the surrounding objects, including the civilian population. The effects of explosion in the considered conditions of explosive trauma correspond to those typical for explosive damage, which were considered in the forensic characterization of damaging factors of explosions in the explosive event under study. The injuries sustained from the impact of the damaging factors of explosions are characterized by different manifestations and corresponding sequence. This can be noted in the degree of impact of the damaging factors of explosions on the damaged object and thus contribute to the determination of the center of the explosion. AIM: To determine the extent of the impact of damaging factors of explosions on the damaged object by morphological signs of explosive damage in the investigated circumstances of the explosion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Archival materials of forensic medical examinations of fatal cases of explosive trauma of mass character in conditions of confined space were studied. RESULTS: The complex effect of damaging factors of explosions on the damaged objects has been found to cause almost instantaneous explosive damage on clothing and surface and internal injuries in the victims of the studied event. The morphological manifestations of such injuries are of a complex, multiple, combined nature. All injuries were classified considering their distribution into groups characterizing the degree of violation of morphological structures of the organism. Thus, in the general structure of all injuries according to the degree of occurrence of their signs, the following were noted: wounds and soft tissue defects (822; 23.6%), fractures (820; 23.5%), hemorrhages (820; 23.5%), bleeding (820; 23.5%), hemorrhages (805; 23.1%), skin abrasions (279; 7.9%), dislocations (215; 6.2%), organ ruptures (76; 2.2%), mechanical clothing injuries (382; 10.9%), and thermal clothing injuries (91; 2.6%). CONCLUSION: The presented data show the morphological diversity and severity of explosive damage in the studied event, which to some extent can be considered when reconstructing the circumstances of the explosion.