The Analysis of Skeletal Trauma in Medicolegal Contexts: Issues, Novel Approaches, and Future Directions.

Analysing and interpreting the circumstances of traumatic injuries is a fundamental aspect of forensic casework. Considerable skeletal trauma injuries exist dependent on factors such as the direction of impact, force, and biological factors. Skeletal trauma is complex, and in many instances, causes of injury and death are not testable. The current evidence base is limited requiring significant improvements. This project uses a methodological framework that analyses postmortem data using machine learning that can potentially differentiate between impact mechanisms. This approach will provide the basis to explore alternative methods in which to improve the analysis of skeletal trauma in medicolegal contexts.