Identifying and documenting osseous trauma from shark attacks by post mortem CT examination and autopsy

Roger W Byard; Raj Perumal

doi:10.1007/s12024-024-00823-6

Identifying and documenting osseous trauma from shark attacks by post mortem CT examination and autopsy

Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2024 May 4. doi: 10.1007/s12024-024-00823-6. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Roger W Byard¹, Raj Perumal²

Affiliations

¹ Adelaide School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Forensic Science SA, Frome Rd and Divett Place, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia. roger.byard@sa.gov.au.
² Adelaide School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Forensic Science SA, Frome Rd and Divett Place, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.

PMID: 38703260
DOI: 10.1007/s12024-024-00823-6

Abstract

A 15-year-old male was attacked by a large white shark while surfing. CT examination revealed an above-knee amputation of the right lower extremity with stripping of soft tissues from the groin distally. 3-dimensional volume rendering did not show any fragments of shark teeth but did reveal linear gouges, areas of shaving of cortical bone and an inverted 'V'-shaped defect at the distal margin of the femoral shaft. At autopsy these injuries were confirmed in addition to areas with fine parallel cross-striations matching the marginal serrations of the teeth of a white shark. Thus, while post mortem CT with 3-dimensional reconstruction at high resolution can show the nature and number of the bony injuries following shark attack, it is complimented by pathological examination which may find fine parallel grooves from teeth serrations. Post mortem 3-dimensional volume rendering may also help to find or exclude fragments of teeth, and silicone casting may provide a permanent record of bone lesions.

Keywords: 3-dimensional volume rendering; CT scanning; Fatality; Forensic; Shark attack; Silicone casting.