Reconstruction of fall-related injury circumstances: a case report

It is not always possible to solve the expert task of determining the circumstances of injury based solely on forensic medical examination findings. In certain cases, analyzing the incident using mathematical calculations allows for the reconstruction of the circumstances under which mechanical trauma occurred. This paper presents a forensic case that demonstrates the effectiveness of biomechanical (mathematical) analysis as part of a comprehensive forensic biomechanical analysis in reconstructing the circumstances of mechanical trauma resulting from a woman’s fall from the 10th floor under uncertain conditions. The body of a young woman was discovered on the lawn near a residential building. She had fallen from the balcony window of her apartment on the 10th floor, where she lived with her partner. The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case based on signs of a potential crime. The woman’s partner claimed she jumped out of the window herself; however, the collected intelligence called his account into question. To address the key investigative question—whether any initial velocity had been imparted to the victim’s body prior to the fall—a comprehensive forensic biomechanical analysis was conducted by forensic medical experts and a mathematical engineer. The constructed mathematical model made it possible to determine which part of the body would have received the impact in the case of a spontaneous fall, i.e., without any external mechanical force. A comparison of the actual medical data and the calculated results revealed that the victim’s body had gained additional initial velocity prior to the fall. This case demonstrates how a computational experiment can be used as a digital tool to help experts choose between several mechanical injury scenarios.