Fall from height in a stairwell - mechanics and simulation analysis

The range of problems considered in the biomechanical analysis of a fall from height has been presented. A complicated case of a fall in a stairwell was investigated, the analysis of which demonstrates the research scale and aspect multitude. The scope of the article was restricted to the analysis of biomechanical problems and the simulation analysis of the event. A virtual 3D model of the stairwell was built using sketches, photographs and photogrammetric techniques. A dummy created according to the victim's data was parameterised. Using the PC-Crash biomechanical module a series of several hundred simulations were run following the adopted research plan, allowing for pre-formulated boundary conditions. The region of the stairwell where the accident was likely to originate and the victim's initial configuration were identified. It was proved that biomechanical simulation can bring invaluable benefits in exposing the mechanism of an event and verification of various hypotheses. Despite general similarities, each fall has its own specificity, which, making the use of methodological generalisations difficult, increases the significance of casuistry. The presented analysis can prove very useful in providing guidelines on investigating other cases. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.