title: The modern holy shroud.
abstract: Testimonies disclosed that a 44-year-old pedestrian was struck head-on by a truck while she was roaming on the motorway; at the time of collision, the truck was travelling at a speed of about 90 km/h. In the second phase of the collision, the pedestrian was projected about 100 m before her body was run over by the truck and then by a car. The autopsy revealed extensive mutilations, making it impossible to verify the testimonies of witnesses to the collision as regards the pedestrian's position at the moment of the first impact. However, the reports produced by the technical expert and the forensic pathologist were able to confirm the testimonies, based on an impact zone on the front panel of the cab of the truck, where part of the pedestrian's face was reproduced like a "modern holy shroud".
authors.affiliation: University Center of Legal Medicine, Lausanne-Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. bettina.schrag@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schrag
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pitteloud
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Horisberger
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fracasso
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mangin
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D005145:Face / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000473:pathology*; D010150:Paint