SHARP FORCE TRAUMA

CLASIFICATION Sharp edged weapon caused cutting or stabbing 1) Incised Wound (2) Stab Wound (3) Chop Wound

INCISED WOUNDS (Syn: cuts, slashes) From Latin incidere- to cut into. Surgical term incision with scalpel. Definition: Clean division of the full thickness of skin (or other tissue) under the pressure of a sharp-edged instrument. An incised wound is LONGER THAN IT IS DEEP due to swipe action. Instrument is sharp-edged, such as: knife (linear, clean), jagged metal, broken glass, razor. Force is delivered over a very narrow area, corresponding with the cutting edge of the blade

Sharp-edged objects: knife, jagged metal, broken glass, broken bottle, razor.

Characters of Incised Wounds

Margins-Clean cut well defined Width-Greater than the width of cutting edge Length is more than depth of Incised Wounds The length, width & depth of Incised Wound usually do not correspond to the length, thickness & width of the
cutting object.

Shape-Spindle, zigzag, Cresentric Hemorrhage-bleed more. When The Weapon enter oblique, it give one upper under-cut edge

FORENSIC IMPORTANCE
Point to the use of a cutting weapon Profuse external haemorrhage and air embolism Danger to life depends on site and depth Incised wounds may be self-inflicted, assault or accident.
The length, width & depth of Incised Wound usually do not correspond to the length, thickness & width of the cutting object. Tailing indicates the direction of movement of the cutting edge.

Defense and Hesitation Wounds

Defense: -Often on fingers, hands, forearms of victim acquired in attempt to ward off the blows or to grab the weapon. Hesitation: -Shallow wounds made before deeper fatal wounds in a suicide, often parallel or close to fatal wounds.

Deep and superficial wounds of the wrist end arm. The commencement of the wound is usually deep, becoming shallower and finally tailing off towards the end. This tailing indicates the site of withdrawal of the weapon from the body.

Deep and superficial wounds of the wrist. Superficial wound is (hesitation marks, hesitation wounds).

Incised wounds heals by scarring.

Multiple incised wounds-suicide.

Multiple deep incised wounds-homicide.

Incised wounds- dismembered body. (see next slide)

Incised woundsdismembared body.

(see previous slide).

Deep incised wounds to the neck may be either suicidal or homicidal. In this case, the multiple superficial incised wounds (hesitation marks, hesitation wounds) are signs of a suicide.

Deep incised wounds to the neck the multiple superficial incised wounds (hesitation marks, hesitation wounds) are signs of a suicide.

Deep incised wounds of the neck. There are no hesitation marks. This was a homicide.

Deep incised wounds of the neck. There are no hesitation marks. This was a homicide.

Deep incised wounds of the neck. There are no hesitation marks. This was a homicide.

Deep incised wound to the left thigh, caused by broken glass (door)accident (see next slide).

Cuting left femoral artery (1)(arrow) and left femoral vein (2)(headarrow) (see previous slide).

Deep incised wound to the neck caused by broken bottle (arrow). Homicide.

Incised wound on the neck - arrow. Suicide (see next slide).

Incised wounds oh the left and the right wrists arrows. Suicide (see previous slide).

Deep incised wounds on the beck.

DEFENCE WOUND.
Defence wounds result due to the immediate & instinctive reaction of the victim to save himself, either by raising the arm to prevent the attack, or by grasping the weapon. These are incised wounds.

 raising the arm to prevent the attack

Defence incised wounds on the left hand.

 raising the arm to prevent the attack

Defence incised wounds on the left hand.

... grasping the weapon (knife)

Defence incised wounds on the left hand.

Defence incised wounds on the left hand.

Defence incised wounds.

Defence incised wounds and cutting third finger arrow.

Differences between Suicidal and Homicidal incised wound

Feature
Site of Incised wound Location Weapon at the scene Defense Wounds

Suicidal
Neck or/and wrists Usually home present absent

Homicidal
Usually on neck Anywhere absent present

Hesitation Wounds Motive Dying note

present Depression present

absent Robbery, revenge, rape, sexual-related attack absent

Chop wound is a variant of an incision.

Chopping wounds results from hacking or chopping motion made with a fairly sharp & relatively heavy cutting weapon like axe, hatchet, cleaver, saber etc. Margins-sharp, abraded or contused. Lower end of axe (heel) strikes first and deeper than upper end (tail). If extremities are attacked, amputation. Medico-legal importance -mostly homicidal

Chop objects (instrument): axe, adze, cleaver, sword, shovel, hatchet, etc.

A blow with an axe causes a sharp cut with fine abrasion (arrow) of the wound edges due to the thickness of the blade.

Chopping wounds on the head. Homicide.

Chopping wounds on the head. Homicide.

Chopping wound on the left ankle.

Chopping wounds on the head. Homicide.

Chop wounds. Homicide. Crime scene investigation.

Chopping wounds on the head.

Defence wound.

Chop wound on the left elbow.

Defence chop wounds on the right hand.

Chopping on the head and skull. Homicide (see next slide).

Chopping on the skull. (see previous slide).

PENETRATING WOUNDS
(Syn: Stab & Puncture wounds).
Definition: Penetrating injuries caused by separation of the skin and soft tissues under the pressure of a sharp or blunt pointed instrument, the greatest dimension being its depth. Caused by thrusting of (or falling onto) 3 types of instrument: (1) Sharp and flat, e.g. knife STAB WOUNDS; (2) Sharp and thin, e.g. needle PUNCTURE WOUNDS; (3) Blunt, long and rigid, e.g. wooden stake, spike, screwdriver, tooth PUNCTURE WOUND;

STAB WOUNDS
Descriptors of penetrating wounds: a) Damage to clothing (slashes, stabs through folds, bloodflow & drip patterns, trace evidence); b) Site in relation to anatomical landmarks, midline, heel; c) Shape; d) Alignment (horizontal, vertical, oblique); e) Size : length & width with edges opposed; f) Direction :in 3 planes; g) Depth; h) Damage to tissues along track; i) Effects : external & internal hemorrhage, pneumothorax, air embolism;

Adequate description may provide vital information about : 1) Type of weapon (c): usually a knife; 2) Dimensions of the weapon (e); 3) Taper of blade (e); 4) Movement of knife in wound (c); 5) Direction of thrust (f); 6) Depth of thrust (g); 7) Amount of force used; 8) Likely effect on victim (h, i);

WOUND LENGTH: A straight in and out stab wound is slightly shorter than the width of the blade due to stretching of the skin over the point of the knife on insertion and elastic recoil on withdrawal. Wound length and width must be assessed with the edges taped together because the wound is often shortened and widened into an ellipse by skin elasticity (Langer's lines of tension) and underlying muscle tone. Wound length < blade width (1) stretching of skin over point on insertion and subsequent recoil on withdrawal. (2) tapered blade not fully inserted Wound length > blade width -when blade does not pass straight in and out - entry and withdrawal at angle; -"Rocking" of knife on withdrawal. Cutting edge extends wound Length; the best indicator of blade width is the shortest (least rocking), deepest wound (weapon fully inserted);

SHAPE OF WOUND may indicate: (l) Cross-sectional shape of knife blade e.g. - Double-edged blade --> Slit with two sharp ends. N.B. single edged knife may give similar wound due to clean splitting over blunt end - Thin, single edge blade --> Triangular slit, one sharp end -Thick, single-edged blade > Slit with one sharp and one 'fishtail' end due to stretching & laceration over blunt edge Stab wounds are typically elliptical with clean cut edges and no bruising or abrasion of margins (incision) (2) Direction of insertion overhang of upper edge, bevel of lower edge. N.B. The direction of the wound track through the tissues is assessed at post mortem, with the body lying flat on its back. The position of the internal organs is different in life, when standing, sitting and breathing. (3) Movement of instrument on withdrawal Small change in angle > notch Twisting --> crescentic wound

WOUND TRACK DEPTH: < length of instrument if not fully inserted; >length of instrument if fully inserted and body surface compressed e.g. abdomen, chest. A small penknife can perforate heart or abdominal aorta.

STAB WOUNDS CASES

Stab objects- knifes.

Stab wounds
are often a combination of stabbing and some cutting. The length of the wound in the skin is therefore not necessarily indicative of the width of the blade that caused the injury.

Stab wound.

Stab Wounds Bone/Soft Tissue

The bone, if perforated, retains shape of blade; Organs may retain shape of blade;

Stabbing on the skull -arrow.

Stabbing on the sternum.

Stabbing on the heart- arrow.

Stab wound on the liver.

Stab wounds- Abrasions.

- Hilt - Other;

Only the lower part of the hilt is imprinted on the skin if the knife slants in the manner shown.

 also

A stab wound gapes across its width and shortens in length, especially when across skin or muscle planes.

Stab wound of the chest: On the right the injury is gaping and boat-shaped; on the left it is reconstructed with adhesive tape, indicating the thickness of the blade (arrow). The wound on the left is considerably longer. (see next slide)

 also

Two gaping stab wounds of the chest caused by the same knife, each of different length. Both wounds represent a combination of stabbing and some cutting. Twisting of the edges of the lower wound while at the same time approximating the edges reestablishes anatomical relationships that existed before the injury and permits assessment of the thickness of the blade. The dimensions of the gaping wound before such restoration are useless.

Forcible stabbing indent the body surface so that deep structures can be injured appear to be beyond the reach if the knife.

Stab wound on the left breast.

Langers lines lines of elastic fibers within dermis.

Multiple stab wounds.Homicide.

Multiple stab wounds. Homicide.

Multiple stab wounds. Suicide.

Distinction of sharp from blunt force injury. Note the straight, clean, non abraded edges of the cut (1) compared to the abraded and irregular undermined margins of the laceration (2), as well as the thin and delicate bridges of soft tissue within the latter type of wound.

COMPARISON !

1. Stab wound. 2. Lecerated wound.

Homicide. Crime scene investigation (see next slide).

Homicide. Multiple stab wound.

Defence stab wound -arrow.

Knifes.

PUNCTURE WOUNDS (due to blunt instruments) Blunt instrument typically > Irregular, split, laceration-like wound. Greater force needed to penetrate skin. Inversion of skin on entry causes abraded margin. Crushing and stretching of the tissues causes bruising of the margins.

Shape may indicate cross section of instrument. e.g.: Hayfork > Elliptical Ice pick > Round Wooden stake > Cruciate Poker > Stellate laceration File > Triangular laceration Scissors > Depends on degree of closure- Z

Objects (instruments) causing puncture wounds: fork, ice pick, scissors, screwdriver, animal tooth etc.

Different objects (instruments) causing puncture

wounds.

Scraping of the edges of the puncture wound along the surface of a blunt implement produces marginal abrasion of the injury.

Puncture wound by screwdriver.

Puncture wounds by a meat or barbeque fork are paired, and their edges are abraded. The distance of each injury from the other differs, depending on the angle of stabbing.

Multiple paired puncture wounds produced with a barbecue fork.

Puncture wounds.

Puncture wounds on the beck.

Characteristic puncture wounds with scissors are paired, abraded injuries. Each wound is oblique and somewhat above the other.

Puncture wounds on the face of a scissor.

Suicide by scissor (right up). Crime scene investigation

Puncture wound on the thorax and scissor.

the scissors is placed in wound that explains form of wound

Multiple puncture hesitation wounds arrows.

Hemothorax blood accumulating in the left pleural cavity- arow.

Puncture wound on the heart- arrows.

Beheading with a sword or axe goes back a very

long way in history, because like hanging, it was a cheap and practical method of execution in early times when a sword or an axe was always readily available. Beheading was widely used in Europe and Asia until the 20th century, but now is confined to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen and Iran. One man was reportedly beheaded in Iran in 2003 the first for many years. It remains a lawful method in the other two countries, although no executions by this method have been reported.

Dressed in their own clothes, barefoot, with shackled feet and hands cuffed behind their back, the prisoner is led by a police officer to the centre of the sheet where they are made to kneel facing Mecca. An Interior Ministry official reads out the prisoner's name and crime to the crowd. Saudi Arabia uses a traditional Arab scimitar which is 1000-1100 mm long. The executioner is handed the sword by a policeman and raises the gleaming scimitar, often swinging it two or three times in the air to warm up his arm muscles, before approaching the prisoner from behind and jabbing him in the back with the tip of the blade, causing the person to raise their head. Then with a single swing of the sword the prisoner is decapitated.

Normally it takes just one swing of the sword to sever the head, often sending it flying some two or three feet. Paramedics bring the head to a doctor, who uses a gloved hand to stop the fountain of blood spurting from the neck. The doctor sews the head back on, and the body is wrapped in the blue plastic sheet and taken away in an ambulance. Burial takes place in an unmarked grave in the prison cemetery.

Beheading in Saudi Arabia

However, it was Dr. Guillotin (Deputy of Paris) who on October the 10th, 1789 proposed to the Constituent Assembly that all condemned criminals should be beheaded on the grounds of humanity and egalit (equality). Beheading was seen as by far the most humane method of execution at the time and was allowed to people of noble birth in many countries. Ordinary prisoners were slowly hanged, broken on the wheel (an horrendously cruel form of execution) or burnt at the stake. The idea of a standardised, quick and humane death was much more in line with revolutionary thinking.

It was clear that some sort of machine was required and after consultation with Dr. Antoine Louis, the Secretary of the Academy of Surgery, such a machine was devised and built. It was initially known as the louisson or louisette, but no doubt, much to the relief of the good surgeon took on the name of its proposer and became known as the guillotine.

French guillotines had two uprights of approximately 14 feet 9 inches (4500 mm) high and 15 inches (370 mm) apart, with metal lined grooves to ensure free movement of the triangular shaped weighted blade which ran on a 4 wheeled carriage. The substantial frame is set perfectly level using spirit levels after the guillotine is erected, to prevent the blade jamming. The blade is of high quality steel, about 300 mm deep and is weighted with lead to give a total weight of approximately 40 Kgs. It falls just over 7 feet (2,250 mm) in around one 0.75 of a second before being brought to rest by a spring mechanism in the block beneath the lunette.

CAUSE OF DEATH

Was the coroner able to establish the cause of death, constable ?

Expectation of the examination

A final result of the examination .