FSC239Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Frostbite, Hydrogen Sulfide, Trachea
Introduction to Injuries and Interpretation
Kona Williams - Forensic Pathologist
Classification of injuries;
● Blunt force
● Sharp force
● Firearm
● Asphyxial
● Environmental
Most common causes of death in Ontario are beaten, stabbed, shot, or strangled.
Blunt Force Injuries - hat brim injuries
- Contusions (bruises)
- Abrasions (scrapes)
- Lacerations (irregular tear of skin) eg. hit with hammer
- Fractures
Patterned
Injuries
Impact of an instrument on the skin causing a distinctive pattern or impression.
● Motor vehicle collisions ex. Tire marks, seatbelts
● Homicide ex. Bite marks, tool marks
● Dicing from safety glass
● Bite marks
Descent
from
Height
- Impact and deceleration related injuries
● Distribution of trauma is dependent on the position of impact and secondary impact sites
such as a balcony
● Common patterns include axial intrusion of the spinal column (spine goes through skull),
open comminuted long bone fractures (sticking out of bones), and mutilating head
injuries (ex. egg shell fractures)
Sharp Force Injuries - cause hemorrhage by incising large vessels and organs
● Stab wounds - defined as having a deeper track in the body than the length of the skin
wound, edges and corners, wound edges tend to be clean, wound corners can be blunt
or sharp, tip of knife can break from contact with bone
● Incised wounds (cut/slash) - longer skin wound than the depth in the body ex. Suicide
● Chop wounds - combined blunt and sharp force injury, “hacking”, usually involves bone,
generally homicidal in origin, often involve head or heck
● “Defensive” Wounds - active defense of injury from an wielded instrument, can be blunt
or sharp but more commonly sharp, locations of this wound usually hands, inner thighs,
Firearm Injuries - depends on the type of weapon and type of ammunition such as handguns,
rifles, etc.
● Entrance wounds depend on range of fire (contact, close, intermediate,
distant/indeterminate and intermediate targets
● Contact (gases split skin), close (soot deposition ex. mussel impression), intermediate
(powder tattooing), distance/ indeterminate, and intermediate targets
● Blackening is caused by heat against skin
Document Summary
Most common causes of death in ontario are beaten, stabbed, shot, or strangled. Impact of an instrument on the skin causing a distinctive pattern or impression. Descent from height - impact and deceleration related injuries. Motor vehicle collisions ex. tire marks, seatbelts. Distribution of trauma is dependent on the position of impact and secondary impact sites. Common patterns include axial intrusion of the spinal column (spine goes through skull), such as a balcony open comminuted long bone fractures (sticking out of bones), and mutilating head injuries (ex. egg shell fractures) Cause hemorrhage by incising large vessels and organs. Stab wounds - defined as having a deeper track in the body than the length of the skin. Can be blunt wound, edges and corners, wound or sharp, tip of knife can break from contact with bone. Incised wounds (cut/slash) - longer skin wound than the depth in the body ex. suicide.
