Appearance of injuries caused by machetes and unusually large knives

Machetes (Spanish-American matchets) are sharp, long knives with a broad blade having a slightly curved edge and a thick back. They are used for clearing paths in rough, densely wooded areas. Just like axes and swords they are suitable for causing not only soft tissue wounds, but also deep slashes in the underlying bone. In military conflicts (especially in Central Africa) they are often used as short-range weapons, whereas it is in the nature of things that they are rarely used in Europe. On the basis of 5 cases from the Freiburg material fatal and survived injuries caused by machetes and similarly large knives are discussed. In 2 cases long chop injuries were inflicted on the head causing sharp-edged transections of the bony skullcap; in one case in which the victim survived a broken off part of the blade lodged in the right os parietale. In another 2 cases complete and subtotal decapitation respectively occurred in the victims. As the instrument can be used both for cutting and stabbing there were not only long cutting injuries, but also gaping stab wounds severing the skin over a length of several centimetres; due to the great length of the blade through-and-through wounds were also seen on the trunk. Massive blows with the thick back of the blade caused streak-like bruising.     

Fatal injuries caused by glass fragments. Case reports and autopsy findings

The authors report three cases of fatal domestic accidents by falling through glass doors. Multiple cuts and stabwounds in one of these cases primarily suggested a crime of violence. In contrast the bodies of the two other perished persons showed only unsignificant injuries. Causes of death were aerous embolism (1 case) and mechanical bleeding to death (2 cases). The common morphological signs of these glass injuries are exemplified and preventive measures are discussed.     

Forensic medical evaluation of stab-incised wounds caused by knives with point defects

The present experimental study allowed to characterize specific signs of stab-incised wounds caused by knives with operational point defects. Diagnostic coefficients calculated for these macro- and microscopic features facilitate differential diagnostics of the injuries and make it possible to identify a concrete stabbing/cutting weapon with which the wound was inflicted..     

Self-defense injuries in homicides caused by penetrating forces

101 homicides caused by stabbing were examined for the presence of defence-injuries. 50 victims showed 174 defence-injuries on hands and forearms (133 incision wounds, 26 stab wounds and 15 cutting through). More than two thirds of lesions were found on left arm. That those lesions mostly were found on left arm is caused by the interaction between perpetrator and victim. Victims left arm is nearest to the perpetrator therefore it is used as a mean of defence first of all. The probability that defence-injuries can be seen is rising with the number of stab wounds. Localisation of a defence-injury on the extensor side ("passive") or on the flexor side ("active") is conditioned by accidentalities. Such a differentiation should be given up because no conclusions on the readiness of defence can be drawn.     

多人伤法医学检验的探讨

在法医学活体或尸体检验实践中,由多人(有二人或二人以上致伤者)对同一人体所造成的损伤(简称为多人伤),评定其严重程度或进行死因分析,可能存在争议.     

Fatal and non-fatal injuries caused by crossbows

Today in modern times, traumatic injuries caused by crossbows are a rarity. The largest collection of cases so far is presented in this study, consisting of four fatalities (two homicides and two suicides) and two non-fatal injuries (grievous bodily harm and an accident). All the victims were male having an age between 31 and 54. The weapons, which were used, were mainly high-performance precision crossbows with telescopic sights and hunting bolts. The parts of the body involved were the facial/head area in three of the cases and the thorax in three of them. There were either deep or total penetration injuries to the cranium and thorax with the bolt remaining in the wound in four out of six cases. The persons with non-fatal crossbow injuries exhibited comparatively few symptoms, despite the sometimes extensive involvement of the interior of the cranium (cerebrocranial penetration, in one instance). The two cases of suicide favoured the body areas often found with gun-users. The aetiological classification of crossbow injuries may be difficult after the removal of the bolt. The external morphology is strongly dependent on the type of tip used. Multiple-bladed hunting broadheads produce radiating incised wounds, whereas conical field tips produce circular to slitlike defects. Correspondingly, the external injuries can be reminiscent of the effects of a violent attack by sharp force or of a gunshot wound. The possibility, supported by clinical data, that the victim might have the ability to act or even to survive for a period of time, even with penetration of the brain, should be taken into account when the cause of death is being investigated.     

硫酸二甲酯中毒案件损伤程度评定44例分析

目的提出对硫酸二甲酯中毒案件损伤程度的评定方法。方法案例中44名中毒者根据GB/Z40-2002《职业性急性硫酸二甲酯中毒诊断标准》进行中毒程度评定,再依据重、轻伤标准作出损伤程度的评定。结果44名硫酸二甲酯中毒案件中重伤4人、轻伤4人;未达到中毒程度,不构成重、轻伤的36人。结论在涉及中毒的案件中,损伤程度的鉴定主要依照国家制定的有关职业性急性化学药品、毒剧药品中毒的诊断及分级标准,结合人体轻、重伤鉴定标准进行。     

Distinctive patterned injuries caused by an expandable baton

Identification and documentation of patterned blunt-force injuries at autopsy is of utmost forensic importance, particularly when the object or surface producing the injury is unknown or uncertain. Documentation of patterned injuries produced by known objects contributes to the catalogue of forensic knowledge regarding those objects and the injuries they cause. This report presents a case in which a 27-year-old male sustained multiple nonlethal patterned blunt-force injuries produced by an expandable baton and subsequent multiple gunshot wounds during apprehension by police.     

Fatal neck injuries caused by blank cartridges.

We report three cases where fatal neck injuries were caused by blanks from starting pistols. The weapons were loaded with blank cartridges or tear gas cartridges. Neither live ammunition nor any form of projectile was used. All three cases involved a contact discharge. The gas pressure caused by firing the weapons created extensive wound cavities in all three cases. Each victim died from blood loss as a result of ruptured cervical vessels; there were no air embolisms. In one case, a man shot himself eight times with two different starting pistols, and the wounds could be matched to each gun by the muzzle imprint marks on the neck.     

Unusual findings in a death caused by a car fire

Witnesses detected a burning car in the parking lot next to a discotheque in the early morning hours. After the fire had been extinguished, the charred body of the 23-year-old car owner was found in the driver's seat. The young man had been a guest of the discotheque the previous night and consumed plenty of alcoholic drinks. The traces left by the fire on the car suggested that the fire had started in the passenger compartment. At autopsy, greyish-brown discoloration and induration of the mucosa of the respiratory tract were found in addition to massive aspiration of soot and signs of soot swallowing. The macroscopic and histological findings pointed to a chemical burn of the airways probably caused by chlorine gases developing when the covering of the passenger compartment was burning. Chemical burns due to inhalation, aspiration and swallowing of soot are all signs of vitality, so that a smoldering fire must have gone on for a while inside the car with the windows closed. The most probable cause of the fire is that clothing or textile material in the car was set on fire by a burning cigarette.     

Fatal cranial injuries caused by an electric angle grinder

A case of fatal cranial injuries caused by an angle grinder is reported. The scalp lesions were typical of those produced by a cutting disk in a side-slipping movement. On the cranial vault were two bony losses of substance, one of which was deep enough for intracranial penetration of the disk. Signs of deflection of the disk, identical to those found on the scalp, were observed on the external bony table. Because of the circumstances in which the victim was discovered, in particular the damage to the machine which had a broken handle, and the lack of any indication of homicide or suicide, an accident is the most likely hypothesis.     

Fatal pediatric head injuries caused by short-distance falls.

Physicians disagree on several issues regarding head injury in infants and children, including the potential lethality of a short-distance fall, a lucid interval in an ultimately fatal head injury, and the specificity of retinal hemorrhage for inflicted trauma. There is scant objective evidence to resolve these questions, and more information is needed. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are witnessed or investigated fatal short-distance falls that were concluded to be accidental. The author reviewed the January 1, 1988 through June 30, 1999 United States Consumer Product Safety Commission database for head injury associated with the use of playground equipment. The author obtained and reviewed the primary source data (hospital and emergency medical services' records, law enforcement reports, and coroner or medical examiner records) for all fatalities involving a fall. The results revealed 18 fall-related head injury fatalities in the database. The youngest child was 12 months old, the oldest 13 years. The falls were from 0.6 to 3 meters (2-10 feet). A noncaretaker witnessed 12 of the 18, and 12 had a lucid interval. Four of the six children in whom funduscopic examination was documented in the medical record had bilateral retinal hemorrhage. The author concludes that an infant or child may suffer a fatal head injury from a fall of less than 3 meters (10 feet). The injury may be associated with a lucid interval and bilateral retinal hemorrhage.