The Role of Autopsy in Diagnosing Fatal Chest Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: A Literature Review
Road accidents are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with significant repercussions on public health and the global economy. Fatal accidents can cause injuries in various anatomical areas with different dynamics. The thorax is one of the main sites involved in fatal accidents, due to the...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/6/778 |
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| author | Matteo Antonio Sacco Maria Cristina Verrina Saverio Gualtieri Agostinho Santos Bárbara Ferreira Mendes Alessandro Pasquale Tarallo Aurora Princi Stefano Lombardo Pietrantonio Ricci Isabella Aquila |
| author_facet | Matteo Antonio Sacco Maria Cristina Verrina Saverio Gualtieri Agostinho Santos Bárbara Ferreira Mendes Alessandro Pasquale Tarallo Aurora Princi Stefano Lombardo Pietrantonio Ricci Isabella Aquila |
| author_sort | Matteo Antonio Sacco |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Road accidents are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with significant repercussions on public health and the global economy. Fatal accidents can cause injuries in various anatomical areas with different dynamics. The thorax is one of the main sites involved in fatal accidents, due to the presence of vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Protective devices, such as seatbelts and airbags, also play a fundamental role in preventing chest injuries. However, external examination is often insufficient to determine the extent of internal trauma, resulting in significant difficulties in reconstructing the accident dynamics. In particular, in the absence of an autopsy, it is difficult to determine whether the driver or passengers were wearing protective devices, such as seatbelts, at the time of the accident. Diagnosing injuries secondary to protective devices, such as airbags, can also be complex without this assessment. Through a review of the literature, this work analyzes the different types of thoracic trauma that can be found at autopsy, providing indications to the forensic pathologist for the examination of these injuries. This review highlights the importance of the autopsy examination as a gold-standard investigation in the analysis of thoracic trauma from road accidents, in order to evaluate with certainty the injuries that caused death, and to facilitate the reconstruction of the dynamics for judicial purposes. Finally, an analysis of postmortem radiological investigations and of the role of protective measures in these events, such as the seatbelt and airbag, is provided. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d78453fffa474468a36238d786c4a70e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4418 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diagnostics |
| spelling | doaj-art-d78453fffa474468a36238d786c4a70e2025-08-20T03:43:37ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182025-03-0115677810.3390/diagnostics15060778The Role of Autopsy in Diagnosing Fatal Chest Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: A Literature ReviewMatteo Antonio Sacco0Maria Cristina Verrina1Saverio Gualtieri2Agostinho Santos3Bárbara Ferreira Mendes4Alessandro Pasquale Tarallo5Aurora Princi6Stefano Lombardo7Pietrantonio Ricci8Isabella Aquila9Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciencias Forenses, Jardim Carrilho Videira, 4050-167 Porto, PortugalInstituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciencias Forenses, Jardim Carrilho Videira, 4050-167 Porto, PortugalInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyRoad accidents are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with significant repercussions on public health and the global economy. Fatal accidents can cause injuries in various anatomical areas with different dynamics. The thorax is one of the main sites involved in fatal accidents, due to the presence of vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Protective devices, such as seatbelts and airbags, also play a fundamental role in preventing chest injuries. However, external examination is often insufficient to determine the extent of internal trauma, resulting in significant difficulties in reconstructing the accident dynamics. In particular, in the absence of an autopsy, it is difficult to determine whether the driver or passengers were wearing protective devices, such as seatbelts, at the time of the accident. Diagnosing injuries secondary to protective devices, such as airbags, can also be complex without this assessment. Through a review of the literature, this work analyzes the different types of thoracic trauma that can be found at autopsy, providing indications to the forensic pathologist for the examination of these injuries. This review highlights the importance of the autopsy examination as a gold-standard investigation in the analysis of thoracic trauma from road accidents, in order to evaluate with certainty the injuries that caused death, and to facilitate the reconstruction of the dynamics for judicial purposes. Finally, an analysis of postmortem radiological investigations and of the role of protective measures in these events, such as the seatbelt and airbag, is provided.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/6/778road accidentautopsychest trauma |
| spellingShingle | Matteo Antonio Sacco Maria Cristina Verrina Saverio Gualtieri Agostinho Santos Bárbara Ferreira Mendes Alessandro Pasquale Tarallo Aurora Princi Stefano Lombardo Pietrantonio Ricci Isabella Aquila The Role of Autopsy in Diagnosing Fatal Chest Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: A Literature Review Diagnostics road accident autopsy chest trauma |
| title | The Role of Autopsy in Diagnosing Fatal Chest Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: A Literature Review |
| title_full | The Role of Autopsy in Diagnosing Fatal Chest Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: A Literature Review |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Autopsy in Diagnosing Fatal Chest Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: A Literature Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Autopsy in Diagnosing Fatal Chest Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: A Literature Review |
| title_short | The Role of Autopsy in Diagnosing Fatal Chest Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents: A Literature Review |
| title_sort | role of autopsy in diagnosing fatal chest injuries in road traffic accidents a literature review |
| topic | road accident autopsy chest trauma |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/6/778 |
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