Forensic Engineering Use Of Surrogates In Injury And Fatality Cases

Abstract

In Personal Injury And Fatality Cases, Particularly Those Involving Biomechanics, It Can Occasionally Be Difficult To Evaluate Causation Scenarios Without The Use Of A Human Tape Measure, More Commonly Known As A Surrogate. In These Cases, For The Incident To Happen In The Manner Alleged, Certain Bodily Positions, Configurations And Movements Would Be Necessary. A Surrogate Provides Tangible, Real-World Dimensional And Range-Of-Motion References That Can Assist Both The Causation Analysis And The Triers Of Fact. Three Case Studies Will Illustrate The Benefits Of Using Human Surrogates: A Vehicle Crash Injury, An Alleged Ramp Slip-And-Fall, And A Tractor/Mower Fatality.