On February 19, 2003, a 3-year-old child was sent downstairs to retrieve a toy. Shortly after, her guardian heard a noise and ran to find her lying at the bottom of the split-foyer stairs. She was rushed to the hospital immediately by paramedics. She died five days later and the cause of death determined was brain herniation due to anoxic/ischemic brain injury. The objective of this research was to determine which fall scenario(s) matched the trauma sustained utilizing scientifically proven quantitative measures.

Motorcyclists Suffer Serious Trauma More Often Than Automotive Occupants Tracing To Contact With Non-Yielding Road Surfaces And/Or Direct Impact From Other Vehicles. A Motorcycle Helmet Is The Principal Defense To Head Impact. If A Motorcycle Helmet Passes Dot, Department Of Transportation, Approval, What Performance Improvements Correlate? Dot And Non-Dot Helmets Were Tested To Determine Impact Performance At Velocities Exceeding Standardized Testing Velocities. Three Types Of Dot Approved And Three Types Of Non-Dot Approved Helmets Were Tested At Two Speeds Outside Of The Federal Testing Standards In The United States. The Analysis Was Performed Using An Inverted Pendulum Sub-System Experimental Device With A Hybrid-Iii Anthropometric Dummy Cranium And Neck. Results Quantify The Performance By Category, Model, And Experiment By Test Metric.

The Scientific Method Is Utilized In Order To Understand The Relationship Among Observations Of Physical Phenomena, While Minimizing The Influence Of Human Bias And Maximizing Objectivity. Specific Procedures For The Application Of The Scientific Method Vary From One Field Of Science To Another, But The Investigative Technique Universally Provides For An Analytical Framework To Acquire, Collect And/Or Integrate Knowledge. Engineering Forensics Involves The Analysis Of The Parameters Or Cause(S) Of Incidents Or Failures And/Or Hypothetical Prevention Methods. Engineering Analysis Of Forensic Problems Is A Multifaceted, Multidisciplinary Pursuit That Is Often Wide In Scope. Forensic Engineering Generally Applies Existing Science In Conjunction With The Knowledge, Education, Experience, Training And Skill Of The Practitioner To Seek Solution(S). The Scientific Method, Including Definition Of A Null Hypothesis, Is Rarely Utilized In Forensics As New Science Is Rarely Required. A Forensic Engineering Investigation Typically Involves The Application Of Long Established Science (Newtons Laws, For Example). Forensic Engineering Encompasses The Systematic Search For Knowledge Necessitating The Observation And Definition Of A Problem; The Collection Of Data Through Observation, Research, Experimentation And/Or Calculation; The Analysis Of Data; And The Development And Evaluation Of Findings And Opinions. The Ultimate Objective Of A Forensic Engineering Investigation Is Uncompromised Data Collection And Systematically Considered, Iteratively Derived And Objectively Balanced Conclusions.

This Reports Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Impacts To The Adult Head And Pediatric Head From Multiple Sources, With The Goal Of Amassing A Database To Be Utilized For Forensic Biomedical Engineering Analysis. Supplemental Impact Activities (Of Acceleration Verses Time Data), Rather Than Cumulative Historical Adult And Child Head Impacts Are Discussed. Adult Head Impacts Recently Tested Include Motorcycle, Bicycle And Equestrian Helmeted Impacts. Infant Head Impacts Include Falls Onto Carpet/Tile And Toy Impacts, And Child Head Impacts Include Recreational Ball Tests (Baseballs, Soccer Balls, Playground Balls And Basketballs). Biomedical Engineers Use Computational Modeling And Simulation To Analyze Injurious Trauma To The Human Head And Brain. The Verification Of These Mathematical Models, Codes, Solutions, And/Or Simulations Depends Upon The Quality Of Their Experimental Validation. The Reliability Of The Experimental Data Determines The Validity Of The Modeling. A Database Of Real World Head And Brain Impact Responses Is Constructed Utilizing Principals From Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics And Anthropometric Dummy Testing. The Digital Data Is Collected According To A Standardized Protocol Using A Tri-Axial Accelerometer Mounted Inside Of Various Anthropometric Dummy Craniums Of Infants, Children And Adults. The Performance Of Motorcycle, Bicycle And Equestrian Helmet Types Is Analyzed With Some Unexpected Results. Other Data Includes Pediatric Experimental Results That Have Not Been Previously Reported: Child Head Impacts With Various Sports Equipment, Infant Head Impacts To Surfaces Commonly In The Home, Like Tile And Carpet, As Well As Infant Head Impacts With Massive, Hard Plastic Toys. The Objective Is To Quantify The Pediatric And Adult Human Head Responses In The Form Of Acceleration Verses Time Data To Impact And Non-Impact Scenarios. This Data Will Supplement The Forensic Engineering Experimental Analysis Database As Well As Define Variables Utilized In The Mathematical Modeling Of Injurious Head Impacts To Improve Head Impact Safety Counter Measures.

With Over 27.8 Million Golfers And More Than 16,000 Golf Facilities In The United States, Golf Is A Non-Contact Sport With Statistically Low Risk For Injury. However, Research Has Documented Golf Related Injuries Can Be Disproportionally Serious Or Even Fatal. Federal Regulations And Countermeasures To Improve Golf Safety Are Outlined. A Spectrum Of Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Golf-Related Incidents Illustrates The Broad Range Of Resulting Trauma. Categories Of Golf Incidents Include: Cart Collisions With Other Vehicles Resulting From Mixed Use On Automotive Roadways, Cart Solo Incidents Including Ejection With And Without Rollover, Errant Golf Ball Impacts, Inadvertent Golf Club Impacts, Trip And Fall Incidents As Well As Golf Cart Fires.