Blast Overpressure After Tire Explosion

Abstract

Fatal blast injuries are generally reported in literature as a consequence of the detonation of explosives in war settings. The pattern of lesion depends on the position of the victim in relation to the explosion, on whether the blast tracks through air or water, and whether it happens in the open air or within an enclosed space and the distance from the explosion. Tire explosion-related injuries are rarely reported in literature. This study presents a fatal case of blast overpressure due to the accidental explosion of a truck tire occurring in a tire repair shop. A multidisciplinary approach to the fatality involving forensic pathologists and engineers revealed that the accidental explosion, which caused a series of primary and tertiary blast wave injuries, was due to tire deterioration.

Fatal blast injuries in tyre blowouts: two autopsy case reports

“…Mechanical tyre bursts can result from an over-pressurization, tyre demounting, or "zipper" failure in tyres in poor condition or with a structural weakness (Michel The name zipper failure comes from the zipper-like appearance of the mid to upper sidewall area of the tyre after bursting, exposing an even line of severed casing steel cords (Hefny et al 2009;Murty 2009;Pomara et al 2013). Possible mechanisms include casing damage exposing the tyre's inner liner to air or moisture contamination, overloading, the mechanical impact that has damaged the tyre's structure, and driving with an under or over-pressurized tyre (Murty 2009;Pomara et al 2013).…”

“…When a large tyre bursts, an increase in atmospheric air pressure is created, known as an overpressure or blast wave, and can induce severe barotrauma. Sudden excess of pressure, even if small, causes significant physical effects on the body (Kumar et al 2016;Pomara et al 2013). The pressure wave travels through media of different densities, provoking acceleration and deceleration as it passes through the tissue (Housden 2012).…”

“…The severity of the injury is depending on the blast loading to which the body was exposed and its duration (Housden 2012). Only a few cases have been reported in the existing forensic literature (Kumar et al 2016;Lau 1995;Murty 2009;Obafunwa et al 1997;Pomara et al 2013;Rautji et al 2003).…”

Bilateral perforating eye injury with metallic foreign bodies caused by tire explosion: Case report

“…In the peer-reviewed literature, numerous cases of injuries due to the explosion of tires of different size have been documented [4] , [5] . In many cases, difficult polytrauma has been described, with about 20% of such accidents ending with death [6] , [7] , [8] . Eye injury after tire explosion have been reported only rarely, describing the following signs: creation of orbital emphysema [9] , blunt eye injury [10] , [11] , bleeding under the conjunctiva associated with esophageal rupture [11] , and intrusion of a foreign body in the orbit (stone) [12] .…”

Uncontacted tire explosion causing trauma to bilateral lower extremities: A case report

“…Several cases of injuries caused by explosion of a tire have been reported, where most cases are facial injuries and upper extremity injuries 1, 2, 3, 4. However, tire explosion related injuries on the lower extremity are uncommon.…”