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Pathology Forensic Wounds differ according to weapon used Patterns of injury are characteristic However, different angles, body areas and other factors can make injury from a single weapon look different Weapons may be any object Weapon may be used in a manner different from typical useage 1 Cutting injuries on different body regions appear different because of lines of cleavage of the skin as well as the kind of weapon and pattern of use 2 1 Injury will appear as on right, but when edges are pushed back together and held, the actual weapon shape is revealed 3 Injury pattern differences result from differences in the orientation of the lines of cleavage with respect to the direction of the wound Wounds from the same weapon may appear different at different body locations Wounds from different parts of the weapon may appear to be from different weapons One reason why obtaining the weapon is helpful in proving a case 4 2 Sharp versus blunt force trauma Injury patterns differ 5 How to distinguish sharp force trauma from blunt force Sharp force versus blunt force weapons may cause similar degree of damage Sharp force injuries cut more cleanly Do not leave partial tissue tags or bridges Not always clearcut, however, because a cutting weapon still can tear the edges of the tissues 6 3 Sharp force trauma with typical knife useage 7 Sharp force injuries that look different but are from the same weapon 8 4 Injury pattern may show the structure s of the weapon that made it 9 Weapon structure can make similar wounds appear to be from a different kind of weapon Identification of weapon may tell investigator about the user of the weapon 10 5 Weapons may have unusual features and be linked to a specific individual Weapons may show class characters, such as serrated steak knives Weapons may have individual characters so only that particular one could have cause the trauma on the victim 11 Size of injury may relate to the weapon used or the type of weapon used 12 6 Any item can be used as a weapon and many household and everyday items can cause fatal injuries 13 Unusual patterns of injury can allow investigator to determine the type of item used to cause the injuries are Patterns characteristic for each kind of weapon 14 7 15 16 8 Anomalous appearance of injury suggests an unusual weapon Investigate all objects at the crime scene that might have caused the injury Often, items will be tested to determine if they are able to cause a pattern of injury that matches the victim s injuries Such tests must be documented and are often presented in court at a trial 17 Injuries from same weapon can appear to be entirely different if used differently Do not restrict your thinking to how the item is normally used, but only to what it could or could NOT do 18 9 What do hesitation injuries tell you? 19 Explain how defense injuries differ from other kinds What is the significance of where these injuries occur? 20 10 Defense injuries can occur on many body regions. How do these occur? 21 Odd pathologic observations Many pathological conditions can be missed by an inexperienced pathologist or criminal case investigator Trauma may be missed or assumed to be a normal aspect of the structure Interpretations are crucial to solving the crime or to providing competent testimony in court 22 11 Unusual skeletal damage. How might this injury have occurred? How serious is such an injury? 23 Fists can do damage that is equally severe as other weapons This kind of damage may have many appearances 24 12 Compare to raccoon eyes bruising from internal skull damage 25 Tache Noire The darkening of the sclera is a result of drying of tissues but not an individual separate injury What might this tell you about the victim? 26 13 Tache noire Closer view 27 Examination of a victim can allow you to determine placing of individuals within vehicles prior to accidents Seat belt shoulder harness injury What does this tell you about the victim? 28 14 Brain hemorrhage may be natural cause or from trauma How does an epidural hemorrhage differ from a subdural hemotoma? Which is worse? Why? 29 Layers of the meninges 30 15 Compartmentalization of the brain is for support and protection If it is disrupted the brain may be seriously damaged 31 What is the most likely tissue to be damaged by a blow to this region? 32 16 33 17

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