scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis In Injury Event Reconstruction And Causation Analysis - References To Activities Of Daily Living

Author(s):  
William E. Lee
Author(s):  
William E. Lee

As Part Of Their Event Reconstruction, Accident Reconstructionists Often Inspect Exemplar Motor Vehicles. xemplarmeans A Vehicle Of The Same Model, Production Series, Etc. In Terms Of The Vehicle Of Interest. In The Analysis Of The Injury Aspects Of Vehicular Collisions, Biomechanics Experts Can Also Benefit From Exemplar Studies, Especially When A Surrogate (Individual Of The Same Gender, Age Group, Body Stature, Etc.) Is Incorporated Into The Study. This Is Often An Important Activity Since Available Physical Evidence Is Often Limited. For Example, Photo Documentation May Focus Almost Exclusively On The Outside Of The Subject Vehicle, Whereas The Injury Event(S) Often Occur Within The Vehicle. Also, Providers Of Vehicle Specifications Typically Provide Limited (If Any) Vehicle Interior Information. Finally, Depositional Information May Be Very Limited, Providing Few Details On Events And Conditions That May Have Contributed (Or Not) To Claimed Injuries. Thus, Exemplar/Surrogate Studies Can Provide A Wealth Of Information In The Analysis Of What Injuries May (Or May Not) Have Occurred Knowing The Physics Of The Accident Reconstruction And The Resulting Occupant Kinematics, Geometric Considerations, Claimant Characteristics, And The Associated Injury Mechanisms. A Series Of Situations Will Be Presented As Examples Of How Exemplar/Surrogate Studies Can Be Useful In Injury Analysis, Including Seat Belt Issues, Rear-End Collisions, And Pedestrian/Vehicle Incidents. General Protocol Considerations Will Also Be Presented.


Author(s):  
William E. Lee

Forensic engineering experts with expertise in the field of biomechanics are frequently retained to conduct a biomechanical analysis of some injury-related incident. This may involve the areas of injury event reconstruction, what forces may have been involved, how the person responded to these forces, and whether injury mechanisms consistent with the claimed injuries were (or were not) established during the incident. It is the view of someengineering biomechanics experts that the presentation of injury mechanism-related opinions is based on biomechanics (a subject of engineering) and is not intended to serve as an opinion regarding injury causation (i.e., was the claimant injured as a result of the described incident). Attorneys have challenged the ability of forensic engineering biomechanics experts to offer injury mechanism-related opinions (and often the other associated areas described above) based on a theory that “biomechanics” is not a subject of engineering, butrather a subject of medicine, and, in turn, the engineering expert should not be allowed to present such opinions. This paper explores the validity of this claim, focusing on the academic evidence. More specifically, academic programs within the United States in both the areas of engineering and medicine were examined to find evidence of formal classes in the area of biomechanics, dedicated biomechanics research activities, current textbooks and references (focusing on author affiliation), and other academic-related activities.


2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Brigham ◽  
Kathryn Mueller ◽  
Douglas Van Zet ◽  
Debra J. Northrup ◽  
Edward B. Whitney ◽  
...  

Abstract [Continued from the January/February 2004 issue of The Guides Newsletter.] To understand discrepancies in reviewers’ ratings of impairments based on different editions of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), users can usefully study the history of the revisions as successive editions attempted to provide a comprehensive, valid, reliable, unbiased, and evidence-based system. Some shortcomings of earlier editions have been addressed in the AMA Guides, Fifth Edition, but problems remain with each edition, largely because of the limited scientific evidence available. In the context of the history of the different editions of the AMA Guides and their development, the authors discuss and contextualize a number of key terms and principles including the following: definitions of impairment and normal; activities of daily living; maximum medical improvement; impairment percentages; conversion of regional impairments; combining impairments; pain and other subjective complaints; physician judgment; and causation analysis; finally, the authors note that impairment is not synonymous with disability or work interference. The AMA Guides, Fifth Edition, contrasts impairment evaluations and independent medical evaluations (this was not done in previous editions) and discusses impairment evaluations, rules for evaluations, and report standards. Upper extremity and lower extremity impairment evaluations are discussed in terms of clinical assessments and rating processes, analyzing important changes between editions and problematic areas (eg, complex regional pain syndrome).


1963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney Katz ◽  
Amasa B. Ford ◽  
Roland W. Moskowitz ◽  
Beverly A. Jackson ◽  
Marjorie W. Jaffe

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