Forensic answers to the 14th of July 2016 terrorist attack in Nice

Abstract

The terrorist attack of July 14, 2016 in Nice (France) was a devastating event. A man voluntarily drove a truck into a crowd gathered for the fireworks display on the seaside “Promenade des Anglais,” plowing pedestrians down over more than 2 km before being shot dead. At the time of this report, a total of 86 casualties and more than 1200 formal complaints for physical and psychological injuries have been recorded. The aim of this work is to describe the forensic management of this event and its immediate aftermath. This paper reaffirms the basic tenets of disaster management: a single place of work, teamwork in times of crisis, a single communication channel with families and the media, and the validation of the identifications by a multidisciplinary commission. This paper highlights other essential aspects of the organization of the forensic effort put in place after the Nice attack: the contribution of the police at the crime scene, the cooperation between the disaster victim identification (DVI) team, and the forensic pathologists at the morgue, applying the identification (ID) process to unconscious victims in the intensive care unit, the input of volunteers, and the logistics associated with the management of the aftermath of the event. All of the victims were positively identified within 4 and a half days. For the first time in such a paper, the central role of medical students in the immediate aftermath of the disaster is outlined. The need to address the possible psychological trauma of the non-medical and even the medical staff taking part in the forensic effort is also reaffirmed.