Skin laceration caused by a short distance shot from a pepper spray launcher: a case report.

Pepper spray launchers are more precise and wind stable compared to conventional pepper sprays and are commonly used as a self-defensive tool. With the advanced potential, they may also harbour a greater risk for injuries, especially if they are not used within the suggested safety distance. If the shooting distance is below 1.5 m, energy densities may exceed the threshold energy density for the penetration of skin leading to skin laceration. We present a case where a man is hit by the liquid jet of a JPX Jet Protector® with an estimated shooting distance of 0.3 m. The man suffered from a bleeding skin laceration, which had to be sewed in the hospital. This case report furthermore outlines the potentially dangerous effect of pepper spray launchers and thereby their role in forensic investigations

Gunshot energy transfer profile in ballistic gelatine, determined with computed tomography using the total crack length method

By measuring the total crack lengths (TCL) along a gunshot wound channel simulated in ordnance gelatine, one can calculate the energy transferred by a projectile to the surrounding tissue along its course. Visual quantitative TCL analysis of cut slices in ordnance gelatine blocks is unreliable due to the poor visibility of cracks and the likely introduction of secondary cracks resulting from slicing. Furthermore, gelatine TCL patterns are difficult to preserve because of the deterioration of the internal structures of gelatine with age and the tendency of gelatine to decompose. By contrast, using computed tomography (CT) software for TCL analysis in gelatine, cracks on 1-cm thick slices can be easily detected, measured and preserved. In this, experiment CT TCL analyses were applied to gunshots fired into gelatine blocks by three different ammunition types (9-mm Luger full metal jacket, .44 Remington Magnum semi-jacketed hollow point and 7.62 × 51 RWS Cone-Point). The resulting TCL curves reflected the three projectiles' capacity to transfer energy to the surrounding tissue very accurately and showed clearly the typical energy transfer differences. We believe that CT is a useful tool in evaluating gunshot wound profiles using the TCL method and is indeed superior to conventional methods applying physical slicing of the gelatine

Maximum flight velocity of blood drops in analysing blood traces

When analysing blood spatters, traces often occur which regarding the collision angle, cannot be allocated to any supposed centre of origin. Drops following highly curved (ballistic) trajectories usually form these types of traces. The reconstruction of such trajectories requires knowledge of the mass, the diameter (of which approximations are known) and the velocity of the blood drops. This article provides an upper range of the velocity in relation to the diameter of the blood drops based on physical laws. This is very helpful in analysing ballistic trajectories

Danger assessment of a spring-gun device (muzzleloader) loaded only with black powder

We report a case involving a spring-gun device (muzzleloader) loaded solely with gunpowder, installed next to shoes to prevent the neighbors' puppy from removing them. The booby trap was triggered by the 15-year-old dog-owners son when he tried to put the shoes out of the reach of the puppy. The boy suffered second degree superficial burns located mainly at the dorsal side of the right hand and fingers. To estimate the danger of the used weapon, several tests were undertaken on soap blocks from different distances and with different loads of black powder. The particle density per mm and the depth of black powder tattooing in the soap was compared with the boy's injuries, and found conclusive with the gun-owners statement regarding the loading of the weapon. Furthermore, our experiments indicated that the gunpowder load involved was not able to inflict permanent damage, not even to the eyes, at the here estimated firing distance

Injuring potential of drinking glasses

At a party of a sports club, an argument started between two groups of young men, in the course of which one of the persons involved threw a beer glass hitting a young man of the other group, who collapsed with a profusely bleeding wound. Although resuscitation measures were initiated immediately, the victim died at the scene due to exsanguination from the completely severed left external carotid artery in combination with the aspiration of blood. Tests with drinking glasses thrown at a skull-neck model suggested that an undamaged beer glass thrown at the head of the victim could not cause the fatal injuries on the neck because of its splintering behaviour. In fact, it seemed that the beer glass had been damaged prior to throwing it and that its sharp edges perforated the skin on hitting the neck

Wundballistik in der Rechtsmedizin

Die Beurteilung von Verletzungen durch Schusswaffen gehört zu den typischen Aufgaben der Rechtsmedizin. In den vorangegangenen Kapiteln wurde deutlich dargelegt, dass auf Grund einer Vielzahl zu berücksichtigender physikalischer Parameter und Effekte die rechtsmedizinische Beurteilung derartiger Verletzungen recht komplex ist. Insbesondere spielt die Kurzzeitigkeit der Vorgänge (eine Schussverletzung findet innerhalb einiger weniger Millisekunden statt) eine ganz entscheidende Rolle

Deadly injuries through recoilless anti-tank weapons while military shooting practice — two case studies from Germany and Switzerland

In this casuistry, two accidents from Germany and Switzerland are presented that happened during the shot of recoilless anti-tankweapons. In both cases, the injuries led to the death of two soldiers: A 22-year-old soldier in Germany was struck by the countermass of a so-called Davis gun which had been fired by a comrade during a firing exercise; he died from his severe injuries,especially in the abdominal part of the body. As a peculiarity of the wound morphology, it was found to be a thick-layered,metallic, gray material in the wound cavity, which corresponded to the material of the counter mass that was ejected opposite tothe shooting direction. The other case took place in Switzerland, where a 24-year-old soldier was seriously injured during anexercise with portable anti-tank rockets. At the time the shot was fired, he stood behind the launcher and was hit by the propulsionjet of the rocket motor. He died as well from his severe injuries, which were located at the chest done by the gas jet and by the veryhigh pressure. In both cases, two different causes of death were present: massive blunt violence in the first case versus a jet of hotgases of very high speed and temperature in the second case

A case of homicidal intraoral gunshot and review of the literature

Determination of the manner of death in case of intraoral firearm wounds can be a challenge, especially if the circumstances of the incident are unclear and crime scene investigation is inadequate. It is a well-known fact that the mouth is one of the selected sites for suicide with firearms. Homicidal shooting through the mouth is said to be rare, but does occur, and can be mistaken for a suicide. For discrimination between suicide and homicide in cases of intraoral firearm wounds, some useful points are the site of entry wound, the direction of the internal bullet path, the range of fire and the circumstances of death. We demonstrate these points in a case of a homicidal gunshot to the mouth assessed by both classical autopsy and post-mortem CT (PMCT)