Harness racing injuries and deaths. Report of a fatal accident and review of 178 cases

A case of a harness racing accident in which the driver died of head injuries is presented. To evaluate the victim's head injury and corresponding helmet damage, a videotape of the race was reviewed and analyzed. Based on calculations of a simplified trajectory analysis and testing of the helmet, it was determined that the helmet design did not provide adequate protection for the victim. The standards for harness helmet design are being re-evaluated by the harness racing industry to ensure the safety of the drivers. A review of 178 harness racing injuries and deaths, current harness helmet research, and recommendations for safer helmets are discussed. A protocol for the forensic investigation of sports-related injuries and/or deaths is also presented to assist medical examiners in fulfilling their roles as practitioners of preventive medicine.     

Copper toxicity following massive ingestion of coins

Two hundred seventy-five United States coins were discovered in the stomach of a mentally disturbed individual at autopsy. Many coins containing copper were corroded by prolonged contact with gastric juice, with subsequent absorption and deposition of copper in the liver and kidneys. The patient died from complications related to the acute toxic phase of chronic copper poisoning. A discussion of the case, foreign-body ingestion, gastric bezoars and the mechanism of copper toxicity is presented. To our knowledge, this is the first death due to copper intoxication following a massive ingestion of coins.     

Interim occupational activities of recalled police officers

The authors examine the interim occupational activities of a sample of police officers who were laid off from their department in 1980 due to budget considerations. Findings from the study indicate that: (1) laid off officers were anxious to return to their former positions; (2) a significant number of those employed during the layoff were in the field of private security; and (3) interest in law enforcement employment during the layoff was partly a function of the officers’ sex. Implications of these findings are examined and discussed. We wish to thank the Detroit Police Department, especially Chief William Hart for permission to undertake the study, Lieutenant Deborah Robinson for her invaluable assistance in collection of the data and the 94 recalled officers for their willingness to participate in the study. Analysis of the data and the conclusions drawn from it are solely the authors’ responsibility.     

Complex scientific testimony: How do jurors make decisions?

Critics of the civil jury system question whether jurors can adequately evaluate complex expert testimony. Based on current models of research in persuasion, we hypothesized that when expert testimony is complex, factors other than content will influence persuasion. Participants, serving as mock jurors, watched a videotaped trial in which two scientists provided evidence on whether PCBs could have caused a plaintiff's illness. The complexity of the expert's testimony and the strength of the expert's credentials were varied in a 2×2 factorial design. After watching the videotape, mock jurors rendered a verdict and completed a number of attitude measures related to the trial. Overall, consistent with our prediction, we found that jurors were more persuaded by a highly expert witness than by a less expert witness, but only when the testimony was highly complex. When the testimony was less complex, jurors relied primarily on the content of that testimony, and witness credentials had little impact on the persuasiveness of the message.     

The Evolution of the Determinate Ideal of Sentencing: An Illinois Case Study

The past two decades have witnessed enormous changes in state sentencing structures. While many of the fundamental tenets of the determinate sentencing reform movement have changed since the 1970s, one bedrock principle has remained constant: the belief that the sentencing power of post-conviction administrators must be curbed. Yet, in many jurisdictions, the goal of the reform movement has been frustrated as sentencing discretion has merely shifted from parole boards to prison officials. This article presents a case study from Illinois to illustrate how institutions' adaptive responses to externally imposed reforms can enlarge the gap between the rhetoric and the reality of public policy.