Single stab injuries
- PDF / 396,849 Bytes
- 6 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 0 Downloads / 139 Views
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Single stab injuries Michael P. Burke 1
&
Yeliena Baber 1 & Zoe Cheung 2 & Mark Fitzgerald 3
Accepted: 10 April 2018 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract Determining the manner of death in cases involving multiple stab injuries from a knife is generally straightforward. The medicolegal investigation of a stabbing death caused by a single stab injury from a knife comprises a smaller but potentially more problematic subset of forensic cases. We reviewed our institute’s experience with single stab injuries and endeavored to identify features identified at the post-mortem examination which may aid in the differentiation between cases of homicide, suicide and accidental death. The single stab injury was to the left chest in the majority of deaths from homicide and from suicide. Clothing was nearly always involved in cases of homicide, but was also seen in cases of suicide. The knife was found in situ in 9 of the 11 cases of suicide involving a chest injury, but was not seen in any of the cases of homicide. There were no cases of an accidental single stab death from a knife in our records. Clinical data on accidental stab injuries was sought via a search of the medical records of a major tertiary referral hospital. A single non-fatal case of an accidental single stab injury from a knife was identified after the conclusion of our study period. Accidental stab injuries from a knife causing injury or death are rare. Keywords Sharp force injury . Single stab . Homicide . Suicide . Running onto a knife
Introduction In the majority of cases involving stab injuries, the manner of death, whether it be homicide, suicide or accident, will be accurately determined by a thorough examination of the scene of death by a crime scene examiner, a careful evaluation of the known circumstances of the death, a review of the medical and/or psychiatric history of the deceased by a forensic medical expert, and a detailed post-mortem examination. The findings at the scene of death can be crucial in determining the manner of death. In cases of suicide, the deceased may leave a suicide note and/or have photographs or other personal items on view [1]. The weapon in question should
* Michael P. Burke [email protected] 1
Department of Forensic Medicine, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, 63 Kavanagh Street, Southbank, VIC 3006, Australia
2
Alfred Health, National Trauma Research Institute, Level 4, Burnet Tower, 89 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
3
National Trauma Research Institute, Department of Surgery, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
be present at the scene and is a highly important scene finding. The pattern and distribution of blood stains may allow a blood spatter analysis expert to reconstruct the probable events surrounding the death [2]. If the victim was clothed at the time of the incident causing death, and the sharp force injury is to non-exposed skin, it has been suggested that associate
Data Loading...
