Biomechanics and Personal Injury Claims

Litigation attorneys involved in personal injury matters involving automotive accidents or slip and fall need basic understanding of how people become injured in such accidents.† Biomechanics compliments traditional medical record review and provides the attorney with information as to whether the injury to the plaintiff or defendant in the action could have been pre-existing.† Presentation contains several case examples based on actual accident investigations.

Outline of Presentation

1. Introduction to Biomechanics
   1. Low speed impacts
   2. Seat belt analysis
   3. Slip & fall injuries
      
2. What is Biomechanics?
   1. Application of traditional engineering disciplines to the human body
   2. How do people become injured?
   3. Physicianís role
      
3. Injury Biomechanics
   1. Common question: Were the claimed injuries caused by the event in question?
   2. Biomechanical analysis
      1. Determine mechanical forces acting on the body during the event
      2. Compare these forces to known injury tolerances
         
4. Low Speed Impacts: Case Study
   
5. Biomechanical Analysis
   1. Determine forces acting on occupant during the collision
   2. Crash tests
   3. Spine loads at lower back (lb)
   4. Head accelerations during daily living compared with accident and concussion threshold
   5. Neck extension moment (ft.lb)
   6. Low speed impacts: claimed injuries
      
6. What determines delta-V?
   1. Speed
   2. Weight ratio
   3. Seat belt analysis
      
7. Question: What injuries, if any, would have been reduced or eliminated if the available restraint system had been used?
   
8. Restraint Analysis: Case Study - Side Impact
   
9. Restraint Analysis: Case Study - Rearward-facing Infant Carrier
   
10. Other Restraint Analysis Case Studies
    
11. Slip & Fall Accidents
    1. How and why did the individual fall?
    2. Are the described events consistent with the injury?
    3. Slip & Fall: Case Study