Identification of driver and front passenger in traffic accidents through skeletal injury pattern

This paper is a retrospective study examining 328 cadavers deceased from traffic accidents (252 drivers and 76 front seat passengers). Specifically, the skeletal injuries of the cranial, spine, chest, upper and lower limbs were examined. The purpose of the study is to ascertain whether it is possible to identify, through the skeletal injury patterns, who was driving at the time of the traffic accident. A statistical analysis was used to detect injuries that could differentiate between driver and front passenger. Drivers more frequently reported chest injuries, especially sternal injuries, due to the collision with the steering wheel. On the other hand, front passengers more frequently reported skull and spinal injuries. Furthermore, a greater incidence of pelvis fractures in front passengers was observed compared to drivers. The chest injury pattern resulted to be the most effective for distinguishing the driver from the front passenger.