Biomechanical Examination of Blunt Trauma due to Baseball Bat Blows to the Head

We report a case of a homicidal baseball bat blow to the head of a woman resulting in multiple skull fractures and an experimental setting to establish the striking energy. The victim and the baseball bat were digitized by multi- slice computed tomography (MSCT). Based on this data, 3D models were generated. With these models, the impact angle could be determined using 3D visualization software. The reconstruction of the impact action was performed using synthetic skull-brain-models and a drop-tower, in which a baseball-bat-module was directed at the models. We scanned the models after impact and compared the resulting fractures to the victim's skull. The energy necessary for the resultant fractures was found to be between 80 and 100 Joules (J), an energy range far above the fracture threshold of the human skull of 14.1 to 68.5 J.

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