Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39269604›Full record

ArticleForensic science, medicine, and pathology2025

Distinguishing injury patterns in fatal falls from heights versus pedestrian impacts: an autopsy study for differential diagnosis in ambiguous cases.

Alessandro Mauro Tavone, Roberta Marinelli, Francesca Cazzato, Giorgia Piizzi, Federico Piselli, Giulia Ceccobelli, Gabriele Giuga, Raimondo Vella, Naomi Romaniello, Antonio Oliva and 1 more

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Article in Forensic science, medicine, and pathology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Alessandro Mauro TavoneDepartment of Surgical Sciences, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, 00133, Italy. alessandromauro.tavone@alumni.uniroma2.eu.ORCID 0000-0003-1722-1486
Roberta MarinelliDepartment of Health Surveillance and Bioethics, Section of Legal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, Rome, 00168, Italy.
Francesca CazzatoDepartment of Health Surveillance and Bioethics, Section of Legal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, Rome, 00168, Italy.
Giorgia PiizziDepartment of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, 00133, Italy.
Federico PiselliDepartment of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, 00133, Italy.
Giulia CeccobelliDepartment of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, 00133, Italy.
Gabriele GiugaDepartment of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, 00133, Italy.
Raimondo VellaDepartment of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, 00133, Italy.
Naomi RomanielloDepartment of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, 00133, Italy.
Antonio Oliva *Department of Health Surveillance and Bioethics, Section of Legal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, Rome, 00168, Italy.
Gian Luca Marella *Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, 00133, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study investigated the injury patterns associated with fatal falls from heights compared to individuals struck by cars, aiming to enhance the differential diagnosis in ambiguous cases, where it is unclear whether the body fell from nearby building or was left on the street following a road traffic incident. A retrospective review of comprehensive forensic reports from the Institute of Legal Medicine of the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" between 2012 and 2023 was conducted. The analysis included 232 cases, gathering data on internal organ injuries, skeletal fractures, external skin injuries, as well as pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial effusions. Bilateral lung injuries were significantly more common in falls from height (33.3%) compared to pedestrians (13.6%, p < 0.001). Liver injuries also occurred more frequently in fall victims (49.6%) than in pedestrians (28.2%, p < 0.001). Skull fractures were more frequent in falls from height (68.2%) versus individuals struck by cars (55.3%, p = 0.044), while unilateral leg fractures were more common in pedestrians (28.2%) compared to fall victims (16.3%, p = 0.029). External injuries, notably to the head and legs, were more frequent in pedestrians. The "Total Injured Skin Area" analysis revealed a significant discriminative power with an optimal cut-off of 84.2 cm², suggesting that injuries exceeding this threshold may be indicative of a pedestrian road fatality.

Indexed as

Accidental FallsAccidents, TrafficPedestriansWounds and InjuriesAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overChildChild, PreschoolDiagnosis, DifferentialFemaleFractures, BoneHumansInfantMaleAutopsyDifferential diagnosisFalls from heightForensic pathologyInjury patternsPedestrian

Identifiers

PMID39269604
PMCPMC12325525

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.