experienced during the turbulence, validating the accounts provided by the passengers and crew. The comprehensive report detailed the biomechanical mechanisms leading to each injury, providing clear and scientifically supported evidence for use in the ensuing litigation. The application of advanced biomechanical simulation tools in an aviation context provided a deeper understanding of how turbulence can cause specific injuries, offering insights that were invaluable for both the plaintiffs and the defense. Beyond the litigation, our findings also contributed to recommendations for improving passenger and crew safety during turbulent conditions, highlighting the importance of seatbelt use and better securing of cabin equipment. This case exemplified the versatility and applicability of our forensic biomechanics expertise. By extending our methods to the aviation industry, we demonstrated that even in vastly different environments, the same scientific rigor and analytical precision could yield critical insights into injury causation. Our team reconstructed the incident using detailed flight data, passenger testimony and the aircraft’s maintenance and design records. By integrating this information into our simulation software, we were able to model the aircraft’s movements and the turbulence encountered during the flight. Using the Human Vehicle Environment (HVE) and Graphical Articulated Total Body (GATB) software, we simulated the forces experienced by the passengers and crew. We created virtual human models to represent each individual involved, allowing us to analyze the specific biomechanical forces exerted on their bodies during the turbulence. The medical records, including CT scans and MRIs of the injured parties, were meticulously reviewed. We correlated the observed injuries with the forces and accelerations identified in our simulations. This involved examining how different body parts were affected by the turbulence, whether the injuries were due to impacts with the aircraft interior or from abrupt movements within the confined space. Our analysis revealed that the injuries were consistent with the severe forces By using sophisticated virtual human models, we can more accurately predict how forces and accelerations impact different body segments during a collision, leading to a better understanding of injury mechanisms. WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM 57 About TLS Forensic TLS Forensic was founded by Dr. Thomas Jenkyn, PhD, PEng in 2008 and he heads up the TLS Forensic team. TLS Forensic (London, Ontario) has a single mission: to bring ‘state-of-the-science’, evidence-informed, mathematically rigorous analysis to the field of personal injury litigation. TLS Forensic experts leverage expertise in computer simulation and extensive experience with engineering principles to model a wide range of automobile, pedestrian accidents and personal injury events. Dr. Thomas Jenkyn TLS Forensic Biomechanics and Engineering Ltd. Tel: 1-877-705-0020 Email: info@tlsforensic.com www.tlsforensic.com
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