title: Analysis of Closed Soft Tissue Subcutaneous Injuries-"Impact Décollement" in Fatal Free Falls From Height-Forensic Aspect.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of "décollement," traumatic lesions of subcutaneous soft tissue, among victims fatally injured because of falls from different heights. Three hundred seventy-five cases of fatalities due to injuries acquired when falling from various heights onto a solid, flat surface, in which the complete forensic autopsy was performed, were analyzed. Décollement was noted in 125 (33%) of the cases. Comparative analysis of groups with and without décollement and observed factors has shown that the height of fall and the manner of death have statistically significant influence on décollement appearance. With regard to suicidal, accidental, or undefined origin of death décollement is statistically more common in accidental deaths. Décollement provides important clues for forensic reconstruction and could be a significant indicator of the body's position at primary impact and the height from which the victim has either jumped or fallen.
authors.affiliation: From the *Institute of Forensic Medicine and †Medical Statistics and Informatics, University of Belgrade School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Atanasijevic
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Popovic
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mihailovic
authors.forename: Bojana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Radnic
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Soldatovic
authors.forename: Slobodan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nikolic
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D040521:Subcutaneous Tissue / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult