Publication
Fatal impalement injury of the head due to a curtain rail
Journal Paper/Review - Apr 25, 2006
Lauterbach A, Hausmann Roland, Betz P
Units
PubMed
Doi
Citation
Type
Journal
Publication Date
Issn Print
Pages
Brief description/objective
During a dispute, a boy was injured by a curtain rail which penetrated the skull in the left frontal region and led to severe brain injury. Despite intensive medical care, death occurred 10 days later due to malignant cerebral edema. With regard to the question whether the trauma resulted from throwing or pushing, some biomechanical aspects are discussed including individual morphologic findings as well as the kinetic energy required for penetrating the skull. According to the calculated data, we conclude that the velocity necessary for penetrating could be reached by throwing the curtain rail.