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7/23/2019 Legal Medicine New

1/19

CHAPTER XV

PHYSICAL INJURIES OR DEATHBY LIGHTNING AND

ELECTRICITY


2/19

Death or Physica I!"#ry ByLi$ht!i!$

Li$ht!i!$ % A! eectrica char$e i! the at&os'here (hose

'ace o) occ#rre!ce a!* i!te!sity are#!'re*icta+e,

% Eectric c#rre!t o) a+o#t -./// &iio! 0ots or 1.///a&'eres (hich is ca'a+e o) 'ro*#ci!$ i!"#ry to h#&a!

+o*y or e0e! DEATH,


3/19

Ee&e!ts o) Li$ht!i!$ that Pro*#ceI!"#ry

-, Direct e2ect )ro& the eectrica char$e %In a direct hit, theelectrical chargestrikes the victim first. If the victim's skin resistanceis high

enough, much of the current will flasharound the skin or clothing to the

ground, resulting in a surprisingly benign outcome, if not, the outcome will be

fatal.Few individuals experience the full energy of a lightning strike because only

about 3-! of in"uries are from a direct strike.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_chargehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_resistancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_resistancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_charge


4/19

Ee&e!ts o) Li$ht!i!$ thatPro*#ce I!"#ry

1, Surface ash burns from thedischarge

3, 4echa!ica E2ect

# side flash $also called a side splash% occurs when lightning strikes a taller

ob"ect near the victim and a portion of the current "umps from taller ob"ect to the

victim. In essence, the person acts as a &short circuit for some of energy in the

lightning discharge. (ide flashes generally occur when the victim is within a footor two of the ob"ect that is struck. )ost often, side flash victims have taken

shelter under a tree to avoid rain or hail.

*eside the acoustical effects of the lightning there are noticeable mechanical

effects. It is noticed that strike can damage a part of some building $roof,

chimney+%, destroy a tree or some wooden post but that is not all. It is noticed that

some metal parts that conducted the lightning current were damaged and

misshapen. It means that when we talk about the current of lightning we must pay

attention to its mechanical effects that can be very important in certain

circumstances.


5/19

Mechanical Effect Of Lightning. It has been proved that a flash of lightningmust

have struck a church - (t eorge's, eicester - with a force eual to more than

twelve thousand horse power. # single horse power is eual to raising thirty-two

thousand pounds one foot high in one minute. /he force of the lightning, therefore,

was eual to three hundred and eighty-four million pounds raised one foot high in

one minute.

0. 1ompression effect
http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Facts-For-Everybody/Lightning.htmlhttp://chestofbooks.com/reference/Facts-For-Everybody/Lightning.html


6/19

Poi!ts to Be Co!si*ere* i!4a5i!$ a Dia$!osis o) Death

)ro& Li$ht!i!$-,History o) a th#!*erstor& that too5

'ace i! the ocaity,

1,E0i*e!ces o) the e2ect o) i$ht!i!$3,4etaic artices are )#se* a!*

&a$!eti6e*7,8#sio! o) $ass &aterias o! acco#!t o)

se0ere heat9,A+se!ce o) (o#!* a!* other i!"#ries

i!*icati!$ s#ici*a or ho&ici*a *eath

:,S5i! o)te! sho(s ar+oresce!t &ar5i!$;,B#r!s


7/19

Classes of Burns-, S#r)ace B#r!s < these ares#'er=cia +#r!s #s#ay see!

#!*er &etaic o+"ects (or! orcarrie* +y the 0icti&s,

1, Li!ear B#r!s < )o#!*(here areas o) the s5i!

o2er ess resista!ce

3, Ar+oresce!t or=i$ree +#r!s atio! o) the e!tire sc#ar syste&

$, Hea*ache. *i66i!ess a!* !oise i! the earsh, I! se0ere cases. it &ay ea* to +i!*!ess.*ea)!ess a!* oss o) s'eech


9/19

Treat&e!t

1. Artificial respiration

2. Air passage must bekept free

3. Lumbar puncture to release the

tension in the cerebrospinal fluid

A lumbar puncture (also called a spinal tap)

is a procedure to collect and look at the fluid

(cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) surrounding thebrain and spinal cord.


10/19

0. 2ectal hypnotic to combat delirium

. /reatment to combat shock

:, Treat&e!t to +#i* resista!ce o) the 0icti&

(hock is a medical emergency in which the organs and tissues of the

body are not receiving an adeuate flow of blood. /his deprives the organs

and tissues of oxygen $carried in the blood% and allows the buildup of waste

products. (hock can result in serious damage or even death.


11/19

Post%4orte& 8i!*i!$s-, E>ter!a

% 4ar5e* teari!$ o) the (eari!$ a''are% B#r!s o) *i2ere!t *e$rees o! the s5i! s#r)ace% ?o#!*s o) a&ost a!y *escri'tio!% 4a$!eti6atio! o) &etas i! the (eari!$ a''are% 8#sio! o) &etas a!* $asses

% Si!$ei!$ o) the hair o) the sca' a!* other 'arts o) the+o*y

1, I!ter!a% 8ract#re o) +o!es% He&orrha$e *#e to the aceratio! or the r#'t#re o) or$a!s% Petechia he&orrha$es o) the #!$s. 'ericar*i#&. +rai!

% R#'t#re o) the +oo* 0esses a!* the i!ter!a or$a!s

4e*ico%Le$a As'ect% &ay +e #se)# to ei&i!ate the 'ossi+iity that *eath is

*#e to the )eo!io#s act o) a!other 'erso!


12/19

DEATH OR PHYSICAL INJURIES8RO4 ELECTRICITY

The &ai! ca#se o) *eath i! eectricity is SHOC@,

Or*i!ary *o&estic i!e is )ro& -// to 19/ 0ots s#cie!t to

'ro*#ce *eath,

Vota$e is !ot the o!y )actor ca#si!$ the i!"#ry rather it is thea&'era$e or i!te!sity o) the eectrica c#rre!t that is the'ri!ci'a )actor,


13/19

8ACTORS ?HICH IN8LUENCE THEE88ECT O8 ELECTRICAL SHOC@

-, Perso!a I*iosy!cracy

1, Disease

3, A!tici'atio! o) a shoc5,

7, See'

9, Eectrica 0ota$e orte!sio!:, A&'era$e or i!te!sity o) eectric c#rre!t

;, De!sity o) the c#rre!t

, Resista!ce o) the +o*y

, Nat#re o) the c#rre!t

-/, Earthi!$

--, D#ratio! o) co!tact

-1, @i!* o)

eectro*es-3, Poi!t o) e!try


14/19

Nat#re o) Eectrica B#r!s

Eectrica Necrosis. Eectric 4ar5s.C#rre!t 4ar5i!$s

% 'ai!ess a!* sho( !o 0ita reactio!

% a+se!ce o) &ar5 *oes !ot e>c#*e

eectroc#tio! +#t the 'rese!ce raises astro!$ 'res#&'tio! o) *eath )ro&eectroc#tio!,

Sy&'to&s

-, S#r)ace o) the +o*y is co* a!*&oiste!e*1, Breath is stertoro#s

3, P#se is ra'i*. =i)or& a!* &ay +e irre$#ar

7, P#'is are *iate* a!* i!se!siti0e

9, Pae )ace


15/19


16/19

#rc or Flash *urns

/his man was near a power box when an electrical

explosion occurred. /hough he did not touch the box,

electricity arced through the air and entered his body. /hecurrent was drawn to his armpits because perspiration is

very conductive.

/hermal 1ontact *urns

1urrent exited this man at his knees, catching his

clothing on fire and burning his upper leg.


17/19

Internal In"uries

/his worker was shocked by a tool he was holding. /he

entrance wound and thermal burns from the overheated

tool are apparent

(ame hand a few days later, when massive

subcutaneous tissue damage had caused severe

swelling $swelling usually peaks 80-98 hours afterelectrical shock%. /o relieve pressure which would

have damaged nerves and blood vessels, the skin on

the arm was cut open.

Involuntary )uscle 1ontraction/his worker fell and grabbed a powerline to catch

himself. /he resulting electric shock mummified his

first two fingers, which had to be removed. /he

acute angle of the wrist was caused by burning of

the tendons, which contracted, drawing the hand

with them.


18/19

Post%4orte& 8i!*i!$s

%Eectrica ar+ori6atio!%B#r!s (ith &etai6atio!

4etai6atio! % &eta o) the co!*#ctor is 0oatii6e* a!*'artices o) the &eta are *ri0e! i!to e'i*er&is ca#si!$ so&e 'artso) the +o*y to +e *ar5e!e*,

%I!te!se 0asc#ar co!$estio! o) the *#ra &ater%Eyes co!$este* a!* '#'is *iate*%Trachea &ay +e co!$este*%L#!$s *ee'y e!$or$e* a!* e*e&ato#s%Co!$estio! o) 0iscera or$a!s


19/19

Treat&e!t

-, Re&o0e the 0icti& )ro& i0e (ire i!staatio!, Cose s(itch,1, Arti=cia res'iratio! (hich st co!ti!#e )or a+o#t a! ho#r3, Treat&e!t o) shoc5 or co&a,

4EDICO LEGAL ASPECT% 4osty acci*e!ta,

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