Damage, weapon impressions and physical fit

Question 1

What does a wielding weapon cause?

Answer 1

fractures

Question 2

What is an abrasion?

Answer 2

graze or scratch

caused by lateral rubbing action

Question 3

What is a contusion?

Answer 3

bruise
blunt force trauma
leakage of blood from ruptured blood vessels
may be seen in muscles or any internal organs

Question 4

What is a laceration?

Answer 4

cuts or tears
full thickness tearing of the skin due to blunt trauma
seen over bony prominence where tissue is crushed against the underlying bone
characteristics
-ragged edges, bulging fat, crushed hair bulbs
-bruising and abrasion of skin edges
-tissue strands across the wound

Question 5

What are incised wounds?

Answer 5

cuts, slashes or stabs
injury caused by sharp objects
clean division
characteristics
-clean cut
-everted edges
-linear or elliptical shape, often gapes
-no tissue bridges
Cuts or slashes
-length greater than depth
-swiping motion rather than stabbing
-cases of suicide on wrists
-deepest at point of first insertion.

Question 6

What are crushing abrasions?

Answer 6

vertical force to skin

weapon may stamp its shape or surface pattern on the skin (imprint abrasion)

Question 7

What colour is a bruise that is 7-10 days old?

Answer 7

yellow

Question 8

What colour is a bruise that is 0-1 days old?

Answer 8

red

Question 9

What colour is a bruise that is 14-15 days old?

Answer 9

disappeared

Question 10

What colour is a bruise that is 4-5 days old?

Answer 10

green

Question 11

What colour is a bruise that is 1-3 days old?

Answer 11

blueish brown

Question 12

What are the two patterns of bruising?

Answer 12

patterned bruise
-impact with a hard patterned object with ridges and grooves
finger pad bruises
-round, oval, larger than fingertips
-due to gripping by fingertips in forceful restraint

Question 13

Self-inflicted cut wounds

Answer 13

wrists, neck, chest, abdomen, groin
suicidal cut throat
-multiple superficial tentative cuts/ hesitation marks
-deep cut starting from left, across midline, up towards right ear (right handed)
-cut sloped upwards and backwards

Question 14

Stab Wounds

Answer 14

depth greater than length
more dangerous than sloshed wounds as can penetrate internal organs
description 
-damage to clothing
-site in relation to anatomical landmark
-effects haemorrhage, haemothorax
characteristics
-dimensions of weapon
-type of weapon
-movement of knife in wound
-depth of thrust
-direction of thrust

Question 15

Movement of knife in wound

Answer 15

result in loss of evidence as to size of blade
knife is ‘rocked’, wound longer
knife is twisted = v shaped wound

Question 16

Defence wounds

Answer 16

knife attacks
fingers, wrists, forearms
media-legal significance as indicated victim was concious

Question 17

Marks in bones

Answer 17

saws cause false start
saws have teeth that result in striations
area cut by saw is known as the kerf
saws used in dismenberments
knifes can leave chips in bone causing blade to break

Question 18

Injury from scissors

Answer 18

domestic disturbances
shape of wound will differ based on whether the scissor was used open or closed
typically z shape