Exam 9: Sharp Force Injuries

Chopping wounds from hatchets, swords, and axes, will show qualities of both sharp and blunt impact depending on the sharpness of the cutting edge.

If a knife is still embedded in the decedent, it is ALWAYS good practice to remove the knife so as to not lose it during transport.

Surgical incisions have the same appearance as many stab wounds and the mechanism by which they are created is the same.

The ____ is the cutting portion of a knife and is tapered to a point, through a belly (mid) region before connecting to the handle.

The _____ is a dull piece of metal that projects at right angles from the handle and blade and serves as a protective device preventing the hand from sliding down onto the blade during use.

____________ measure longer than they are deep.

Defense wounds are those stab or incised wounds inflicted by another person on the victim and are characterized by being located on the arms or legs, as the limbs are used to ward off knife blows.

___________contain abraded margins, have small strands of tissue extending between the edges of the wound, and tend to have irregular margins.

Serrated blades are sometimes used, in which case the depth of the wound will be distinct from a smooth edged knife.

The _____ forms the grip area of the knife.

Scattered, superficial wounds appearing like scratches are called hesitation wounds.

The _____ is the dull edge of the blade of the knife.

Most commonly, the manner of death from sharp force injuries is either suicide or homicide.

Box cutters are the most common instrument inflicting sharp force injuries.

Sharp force injury wounds are measured in 3 dimensions:

__________ are deeper than they are long.