The role of the forensic autopsy in reconstructing vehicle - pedestrian impact - a case report

One of the most important things in forensic medicine and law practice is the correct interpretation of injuries, especially in the case of motor vehicle accidents. Injuries to the body of pedestrians in an accident occur both from the vehicle and from the contact with the ground and can be equivalent to the tеstimony of a witnеss to the accident. The information provided by the forensic medical examiner helps law enforcement and the court to find out what happened, what was the position of the deceased during the accident, how fast death occurred and in some cases the potential causes of the accident. We present a case of a 21-year-old woman who died in a motor vehicle accident, examined in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Deontology, Medical Faculty, Medical University-Sofia, Bulgaria. The analysis of all materials in the case presented, revealed contradictory testimonies regarding the events that occurred, therefore the role of forensic examination was of great importance for clarifying the case. The observed injuries on the body and the clothes of the deceased, established during a full forensic autopsy, were used to determine the most probable mechanism of occurrence.