Blunt Force Trauma and Motor Vehicle Collisions Artwork

detroit'sdailydocket

Detroit’s Daily Docket is a podcast from the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office, which is located in Detroit, Michigan, and in a partnership with the University of Michigan. This podcast was created to educate the lay public and the armchair detectives about forensic pathology. We use our experience and collaborative work style to explain forensic pathology topics in plain language and to dispel the myths about the medicine and science of forensics. In each episode we discuss a topic in forensic pathology and relevant famous cases to illustrate the topic. The relevant cases will all be ones where the autopsy report is public record and not from our jurisdiction. Each episode is 30-60 minutes long depending on the topic.

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Blunt Force Trauma and Motor Vehicle Collisions

May 07, 2021 • detroitsdailydocket • Season 2 • Episode 6

Blunt force trauma can result in a variety of injuries that can include abrasions, contusions, and lacerations. The pattern and location of these injuries help distinguish inflicted trauma from accidental injuries. An additional complication with blunt force trauma injuries is determining an appropriate manner of death based on the circumstances in which the injuries were sustained. Follow along with us as the doctors discuss these issues as they relate to popular sports.

In the second part of the episode, learn about the patterned injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision. Are there differences between the injuries that drivers and passengers incur? What about pedestrians who are struck by vehicles? Does speed play a role? We also describe the autopsy findings of Paul Walker and Randy Savage to point out some of the challenges in determining the actual cause of death of people who die while in a vehicle.