MSCT findings in a controlled bus bombing using a pig model: Injury types, patterns and severity in a mass fatality

TY - ABST

T1 - MSCT findings in a controlled bus bombing using a pig model

T2 - 19^th ANZFSS International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences in Melbourne

AU - Hansen, Nikolaj Friis

N1 - 2008 Symposium ANZFSS Certificate Winner in the category "Medical Sciences"

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - In terrorist acts such as car and bus bombings by a suicide bomber using home made or other explosives, there may be many fatalities and wounded. From a forensic pathological point of view this poses a challenge regarding identification of the fatalities, recording the injuries and identifying and recovering relevant foreign bodies that might have been used in the bomb to inflict more damages to bystanders. The author will present MSCT findings and the injuries found at autopsy in 10 dead pigs were positioned inside the bus in a controlled explosion. This will be done in correlation to the individual pig's position in the bus at the time of detonation. 1 of the pigs was rigged as a suicide bomber while the others were individually placed as passengers and bus driver inside the bus alongside dummies. Measurements of the blast force and fast speed video recordings were made during the detonation, and after the explosion the individual pig's recovery position was recorded. The pigs were subsequently transferred to the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Copenhagen where MSCT scans were done and followed by external examinations and autopsies by the author with recordings of the findings. 3D reconstructions of the MSCT studies using the Osirix Viewer were made to visualize injuries and foreign bodies.Results of these findings will be presented to demonstrate the advantages of MSCT to aid forensic pathologists and police investigators in understanding the injury types, patterns and severity in such bombings cases where the explosive devices location and composition is known and the force of the explosion has been measured. The use of euthanized pigs and MSCT 3D reconstructions to demonstrate the injuries will be discussed and proposals for further similar studies will be addressed.

AB - In terrorist acts such as car and bus bombings by a suicide bomber using home made or other explosives, there may be many fatalities and wounded. From a forensic pathological point of view this poses a challenge regarding identification of the fatalities, recording the injuries and identifying and recovering relevant foreign bodies that might have been used in the bomb to inflict more damages to bystanders. The author will present MSCT findings and the injuries found at autopsy in 10 dead pigs were positioned inside the bus in a controlled explosion. This will be done in correlation to the individual pig's position in the bus at the time of detonation. 1 of the pigs was rigged as a suicide bomber while the others were individually placed as passengers and bus driver inside the bus alongside dummies. Measurements of the blast force and fast speed video recordings were made during the detonation, and after the explosion the individual pig's recovery position was recorded. The pigs were subsequently transferred to the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Copenhagen where MSCT scans were done and followed by external examinations and autopsies by the author with recordings of the findings. 3D reconstructions of the MSCT studies using the Osirix Viewer were made to visualize injuries and foreign bodies.Results of these findings will be presented to demonstrate the advantages of MSCT to aid forensic pathologists and police investigators in understanding the injury types, patterns and severity in such bombings cases where the explosive devices location and composition is known and the force of the explosion has been measured. The use of euthanized pigs and MSCT 3D reconstructions to demonstrate the injuries will be discussed and proposals for further similar studies will be addressed.

M3 - Conference abstract in journal

SN - 1547-769X

JO - Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology

JF - Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology

Y2 - 6 October 2008 through 9 October 2008

ER -