Interpreting Injury Mechanisms of Blunt Force Trauma from Butterfly Fracture Formation

Samantha L. Reber · Tal L. Simmons

35 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Forensic Sciences

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Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies Bone fractures and treatments Autopsy Techniques and Outcomes

Abstract

According to biomechanics of fracture production during blunt impact, tubular bones are subject to compressive (impact site) and tensile (opposite impact site) forces; this causes bones to break in tension before compression, producing Y-shaped fracture patterns with breakaway (butterfly) fragments. In current forensic models, the side of the bone exhibiting the breakaway fragment is designated the impact side, with initial breakage occurring opposite. Fracture production and patterning of blunt impacts to 255 sheep femora were analyzed. Contra the existing model, only 60% of complete butterfly fractures exhibited impact side breakaway fragments. Although fractures initiated on the tension, nonimpact side, butterfly fragments formed on either compression or tension sides. Using newly defined breakaway fragment shape criteria, impact side was estimated with 98% accuracy for both complete and partial butterfly fractures. Furthermore, the results suggest that the impact site is the located on one of the Y-fracture's arms, not the butterfly fragment's center, as previously modeled.

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References

1999Broken Bones: Anthropological Analysis of Blunt Force Trauma 2002Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology 1995Differentiation of Perimortem and Postmortem Trauma Using Taphonomic Indicators 2007Perimortem or Postmortem Bone Fractures? An Experimental Study of Fracture Patterns in Deer Femora*2008The parry problem 2006Identification and Differential Diagnosis of Perimortem Blunt Force Trauma in Tubular Long Bones 2003A Fast and Safe Non-Bleaching Method for Forensic Skeletal Preparation 2007Taphonomic Changes to Blunt Force Trauma: A Preliminary Study*

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