[hermantheshocker]

The victim was a worker in a small scale unit dealing with pressing of scrap in baling press machines and packaging it for recycling. An improper method of operating a vertical baler machine resulted in fatal compression of the head and spot death of the victim.


Scene of Accident Showing the Body trapped in Situ in Baler Machine

There were no eyewitnesses who actually observed how the victim actually got trapped within the machine and had his head crushed. However, another person who worked as a driver of a rickshaw transporting material to and from the packaging unit gave testimony that when he reached the site, he observed that the press-machine was “on” and “in motion”, and that the victim’s head had got crushed.

His hand was seen caught in the machine; and there was nobody else in the unit at that time and as such the victim had been alone at the time the incident happened. It was also observed that the victim had not been wearing any safety headgear in the form of a helmet. The right upper limb of the victim got trapped in between the platen (the horizontal slab of metal that moves up and down and causes compression of the scrap material) and the body of the baler machine; and as he was unable to free his upper limb, his head was compressed in between the platen and the bale of scrap that was placed within the baler machine.


Victim’s body with an Overview of the Head Injury

The bale of scrap had been compressed and was tied with cords and ready for ejection from the machine. At this time, the victim would have opened the front door of the baler machine to make way for the bale to be ejected from the machine, and would have proceeded to the back side of the machine. At this time, the platen would have been in the “down” position, over the top of the bale, and would have had to be lifted up in order to eject the bale. For this purpose, the victim would have leaned from the back side of the machine over the top of the platen onto the front side, in such a way that his body was within the baler machine; and he would have put on the switch which was located on the front side of the machine, with the intention of pushing the bale out from the back to the front side, when the platen would move up. At this time, the platen would have begun to move upwards, but the sleeve of the victim would have got caught in between the platen and the back of the body of the baler machine.

Even as the platen would have continued to move upwards, the victim would have tried to free his shirt, but his upper limb would have got trapped and as a result, he would have been further unable to free himself.

As the switch of the machine would continue to be “on”, the platen would have competed its upward motion and then started to move downwards, during which time, the head of the victim would have got compressed in between the platen and the un-ejected bale, resulting in instant death, as the injuries were necessary fatal in nature and grossly incompatible with life.


Extensive Open Contused Laceration of the Right Axilla
The right upper limb showed an extensive pressure abrasion suggestive of compressive force, over the entire length of the right arm over its entire circumference. The right axilla showed an extensive open contused laceration involving the proximal antero medial aspect of the right arm, the anterior aspect of the right deltoid area of the shoulder, the entire axilla and infra axillary area. The injury over the upper limb was consistent with the fact that the limb was trapped in the machine between the moving platen and the rear side of the body of the machine, resulting in compression of the arm between the platen and the body of the machine and also overstretching and tearing of the axilla owing to motion of the platen.


Exposed Base of Skull and Separated
Skull Vault Along With Extruded Brain Remnants
Remnants of crushed brain matter along with torn and crushed dura were visible within the exposed base of the skull. Some of the brain matter was pulped and extruded out at the scene of accident, and was visible over the top of the bale in the baler machine, along with copious blood staining the bale and some of it was produced separately by the police in a plastic bag.


Separated Skull Cap
The platen compressed the head in the transverse plane, resulting in circumferential laceration of the scalp in the transverse plane along the “hat-line” and separation of the entire skull vault as one unit, with scalp hair remaining intact on the detached skull cap. The edges of the skull bones along the line of separation (i.e. along the “hat-line”) showed relatively clean splitting of both tables, exposing the diploe.


Scene of Accident Showing the Body trapped in Situ in Baler Machine

A baler is a machine which compresses various waste materials and shapes them into bundles called “bales”.

[wmSgt]

Damn!!! Outstanding, informative post!

[Bollockingaround]

I actually feel smarter
Class post!

[kilyurselph]

That' a great post right there guy. The best post are always the ones that have an explanation of what we're seeing and how what we're seeing happened.

[Bananamanize]

Later on Etsy: “Used Helmet/Wig” for sale

[SimoneFlen']

Bloody hell, can you imagine stumbling upon the sight of the bloke hanging there?! It's like something out of a horror film!

Great thread, thank you.

[Brynjar]

Toupee's are so tacky and classless.

[alchemistmuffin]

What medical journal did you get this from?

[hermantheshocker]

Originally Posted by alchemistmuffin ↗

What medical journal did you get this from?

Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine

[zeb247]

Love all the info. Great job.