Accident Reconstruction & Biomechanics / Biomechanics

Forensic Biomechanics

Forensic Biomechanical Analysis

Biomechanics is a subdiscipline within the field of bioengineering that emphasizes the application of mechanical engineering, structural mechanics (physics) and biological sciences to living structures and systems. Human injury biomechanics is the study of failure of the human body, be it structural (i.e. bone fracture or skin laceration) or functional (i.e. temporary dysfunction of the brain due to traumatic brain injury). Such failures are commonly referred to as ‘injury’ or ‘trauma’ in the clinical setting.

Forensic biomechanical analysis is based upon examination of three essential aspects of a potential injury producing event:

The loading environment to which the ‘injured’ individual or tissue was potentially exposed.
The mechanism of injury to the specific anatomical region, organ, or tissue.
The injury tolerance criteria associated with the observed failure (i.e.magnitudes, directions, and rates of physical parameters such as forces, accelerations, stresses and strains).

A forensic biomechanical analysis attempts to answer the question of whether the loading environment present during a specific event provides the injury mechanism required to induce the claimed injury, and if it exceeds the injury tolerance for the alleged failure.

Three Pillars of Forensic Biomechanical Analysis

At YA Group, our experts implement the latest evidence-based methods to evaluate the three pillars of a forensic biomechanical analysis:

Evaluate an individual’s risk of injury by determining the loading environment considering the magnitude and direction of loads applied to the individual.
Evaluate the incident to determine if the incident was capable of inducing the mechanism of injury associated with the claimed injuries.
Comparing the loading environment and mechanism of injury to accepted injury tolerances. Key factors considered in a forensic biomechanical analysis include body positioning, occupant dynamics, force direction, and the contribution of pre-existing conditions.

Upon completion of a forensic biomechanics analysis, our experts provide clear, scientifically grounded opinions regarding biomechanical causation and injury plausibility, which aids attorneys, insurers, and claims professionals in distinguishing facts from speculation.