Evaluation of survival time and acting capability after fatal injuries based on the type and extent of injuries

One of the tasks of the forensic specialist is to attempt to determine the interval between fatal injuries and death, and to assess whether the victim could be physically active before death and, if so, to what extent. There is ongoing research aimed at the application of additional tests (histological, immunohistochemical and others) to answer these questions. Unfortunately, currently used methods have numerous limitations and require further improvements. Moreover, they are not commonly employed in medicolegal practice in Poland.

The greatest difficulty in assessing the time of survival and activity occurs when the period is relatively short (seconds–minutes–hours). Therefore, in practice, injury examination is often the only tool to assess the interval between fatal injuries and death, and the possibility of physical activity during that time.

The aim of the paper is review the literature on this topic with a focus on biological methods and attempt to find a correlation between the nature of injuries and survival time, and between the nature of injuries and the capability to be physically active.

An analysis of available cases has shown that unfortunately, on account of numerous limitations, the approach with the exception of specific situations, allows determining at most an approximate time interval during which the victim could be alive and active.