Abstract
We describe and discuss the forensic mission after the terrorist attack on the Breitscheidplatz in Berlin on 19th December 2016, focusing on co-operation with police authorities, and the injury patterns of the deceased. Even after massive blunt trauma, severe injury patterns are often unrecognizable by visual inspection of the body (“Casper’s sign”), which could instill false security among rescuers or, as happened on the Breitscheidplatz, may lead to distress or even trauma in rescue personnel when obviously primarily uninjured patients die suddenly.
Highlights
On 19th December 2016 at 08:02 pm, 24-year-old Anis Amri drove a previously hijacked 40-ton semitrailer into a crowded Christmas market at the Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, Germany, at a speed of approximately 60 – 70 km/h (Fig. 1)
A short video sequence of the incident is available at https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=GipGqdvZy0o
Anis Amri had hijacked the truck prior to this action by shooting its driver
Summary
On 19th December 2016 at 08:02 pm, 24-year-old Anis Amri drove a previously hijacked 40-ton semitrailer into a crowded Christmas market at the Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, Germany, at a speed of approximately 60 – 70 km/h (Fig. 1). From afternoon of 20th December 2016 to late evening of 22nd December 2016, under the auspices of the Identification Commission of the Federal Criminal Police Office, the autopsies of the remaining 11 deceased (including the three patients who died in-hospital) were performed according to International Standards for the Identification of Victims of Mass Disasters (Disaster Victim Identification [4]). This included data obtained by post-mortem computed tomography; for example, for dental. It should be noted that the predominant external appearance of the deceased exposed to massive blunt trauma by truck rollover (apart from the décollement injuries) was that they were relatively uninjured, while at autopsy, massive destruction of the internal organs was noted in accordance with the injury mechanism (Fig. 4)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
