Make no bones about! A whole-body postmortem computed tomography of a train fatality

Abstract

This visual note displays a case of a train fatality. The left threedimensional reconstruction shows the bits and pieces (Fig. 1), how they were found and delivered to the morgue that make radiological reporting very cumbersome. The second whole-body volume rendering was scanned after rearranging the body parts into anatomical position for facilitated radiological reporting (Fig. 2A), giving doubtless a quick and better overview on the body parts compared to Fig. 1. All major body parts were collected at death scene, gravel from the rail tracks were removed and no third party influence was detected. For complete survey and documentation purposes separate scans of the residual parts of the jaw (Fig. 2B) and the intestines with rib/bony fragments (Fig. 2C) were performed. The high-resolution dental scan allowed for subsequent human identification.