Self-mutilation for the purpose of insurance fraud (case report)

3^rd International Conference on Forensic Research and Technology

October 06-08, 2014 Hilton San Antonio Airport, USA

Zahra Hedayati and Arya Hedjazi

ScientificTracks-Abstracts: J Forensic Res

Abstract :

Some of the forensic referrals are the fraudulent persons who wish to obtain insurance benefits by simulating self-induced harms as injuries due to accidents. In this article we report some cases of self-mutilation for the purpose of obtaining insurance payments. These cases were interesting because of the following reasons: (1) Fracture of the tibia bone for the purpose of obtaining insurance payments is extremely rare. (2) In the cases we describe here, nobody had prior history of social and psychiatric problems and violence. In addition, on examination, no sign of previous scars was found in the whole body skin. (3) Self-mutilation injuries are often painless, parallel and delicate lines which are most frequently in the upper limb opposite to the dominant hand and in the areas that can be easily reached. In one of our cases, self-mutilation of the leg shin and the dominant hand were on the same side of the body. (4) In our study, all of the cases had high school education. Patients were within the age range of 20-35 years, and of middle socioeconomic status. These results are consistent with previously available data for self-mutilation in Iran.

Biography :

Zahra Hedayati completed her MD in 2000 from Mashhad University of Medical Science. After that, she was trained in forensic medicine by National Legal Medicine Organization in Tehran. She has been the head of the Forensic Medicine Department of Kashmar Khorasan Province, Iran, since 2001. Also, she is Chairman of First Disciplinary Board of Kashmar branch of Medical Council, from 2010 until now. Miss Hedayati is an expert in personal injury investigation for insurance companies, and a sexual assault forensic examiner and age estimation in forensic science for more than 13 years. Furthermore, she frequently provides training to nursing and physicians. For the last 8 years she has been teaching forensic medicine for students of law in universities of. Additionally, she has published respectful papers and lectured in various international congresses. Her research interests include Forensic anthropology, identification, Anatomy, Traumatology, Archaeology, Toxicology, Sociology and Criminology.