Damage from blunt hard objects. Forensic characteristics and assessment of injuries caused by blunt hard objects: lecture

7.1. General provisions

Blunt objects are very diverse in size, shape, nature of the material and are most widely distributed in everyday life and in production. Therefore, injuries with blunt objects are most often encountered in forensic practice. The main difference between blunt objects is that they do not have sharp edges or ends.

The mechanism of injury is usually twofold: either the injury is caused by a moving object to a person who is at rest or in relatively small motion, or the moving body of a person hits a stationary object (for example, during a fall).

The extent and characteristics of injuries caused by blunt objects depend on the mass and density of the damaging object, the speed of movement, the shape of the striking surface of the blunt object, the anatomical structure of the damaged area of ​​the body, etc. Large heavy moving objects (for example, a truck, an electric train, part of a building during its collapse) usually cause very extensive damage, including crushing and dismemberment. Other less heavy and small objects can be taken into the hand with which they are driven, causing corresponding damage. The latter are often inflicted by an unarmed person (for example, punches, kicks, head blows, squeezing with fingers, bites with teeth, etc.).

Depending on the nature of blunt instruments and methods of application, these injuries can be divided into the following groups:

1. Damage caused by an unarmed person (fingers, fist, palm, leg, teeth, etc.).

2. Damage caused by objects in human hands (blunt hand tools).

3. Damage caused in a production environment.

4. Damage by means of transport (road, railway, aviation, water transport injuries).

5. Damage caused by falling from a height.

6. Injuries during sports activities.

7.2. Damage caused by an unarmed person

An unarmed person can cause damage with his fingers, palms, fists, feet, teeth, which will be of a different nature. Thus, when you apply pressure with your fingers, either bruises with a peculiar location usually form on the body (a single round bruise on one side of the shoulder and several similar ones on the opposite side), or abrasions, often in the form of crescents (with compression of the neck).

Can be distinguished abrasions from an attack and abrasions in self-defense. The first are formed in a person when someone attacks him and seeks to cause damage to him. Such abrasions are diagnosed in the circumference of the mouth and nose, on the lips and mucous membranes of the cheeks in an attempt to suffocate by closing the breathing holes; abrasions on the neck when trying to squeeze it with your hands, often combined with bruises; abrasions in the female genital area and on the mucous membrane of the vaginal vestibule. The second, these are abrasions inflicted on the attacker by his victim in self-defense (defensive), are localized mainly on the face or hands of the attacker and can be important when examining persons suspected of attack, or when examining a corpse to clarify the picture of the incident.

More extensive finger injuries rarely stated. They require tension in the muscles of the entire arm, and the fingers, when grasping, not only compress, but also stretch parts of the body. In this case, dislocations of small joints and, rarely, fractures of small bones may occur; in newborns, strong hand compression can cause a skull fracture with crushing of the brain.

Pulling out scalp or beard hair occurs quite often both during an attack during a fight and during self-defense. The hair clutched in the hand of the murdered person is of great importance in the investigation of crimes. However, you should not think that you can pull out a lot of hair at once with your hand, as victims often claim.

Damage to nails quite characteristic. They look like semicircular or linear abrasions. Particles of flayed epidermis can be found under the fingernails of the attacker.

Unarmed hand, fist various damages are caused. Usually they do not damage the integrity of the skin, but wounds can also be caused. From blows with a fist, skin abrasions occur, especially in places located on bones, bony protrusions with a thin layer of subcutaneous fatty tissue of soft tissues: in the forehead, nose, cheekbones, chin, on the back of the hands, etc.

The most common damage caused by a punch is bruising, subcutaneous hematomas of various sizes and shapes, limited and widespread. Eyelid hematomas occur especially easily. They are observed in the form of so-called glasses when struck in the area of ​​the back of the nose, the bridge of the nose. When the victim is admitted to the hospital, such hematomas of the eyelids of both eyes make one suspect a fracture of the bones of the base of the skull. However, they are very often observed in outpatient forensic practice and without fractures of the base of the skull or damage to the nasal bones. If bone fractures are suspected, an x-ray should be taken.

When punched, another common location for hematomas is the lips. In this case, the mucous membrane of both lips exhibits sedimentation and ruptures penetrating to varying depths. Damage to the inner surface of both lips simultaneously or separately is explained by their “crushing” on a “hard lining”, on the teeth or jaws. When the lips are damaged, the teeth are often damaged at the same time. The latter either get knocked out of the holes or break in the neck area. Sometimes pieces of the tooth are also knocked off.

A blow with a fist can cause fractures of the bones of the nose, lower jaw, upper jaw, and zygomatic processes. When the temporal region is damaged, fractures of the temporal bones with epidural and subdural hematomas and even brain trauma occur occasionally. Direct fractures of the ribs at the site of impact are also observed from blows with a fist, and rarely fractures of the sternum.

From a blow with a fist, soft tissue wounds are possible in the form of limited tears with bruised, crushed edges in places of bony protrusions, along the supraorbital edge of the frontal bone, in the area of ​​the zygomatic processes, and the glabella. In case of fractures of the nasal bones, sometimes the wounds are caused secondarily by bone fragments. The force of a punch depends on the size of the hand and the physical development of the attacker, and the nature of the damage depends on the location of application and the magnitude of the traumatic force. Significant damage occurs when struck with a fist into which some object is placed for weighting - a “bookmark” (for example, a weight, a stone, a piece of metal, etc.).

As you can see, a fist can cause a variety of and sometimes serious damage.

From open palm strikes or flat on the auricle, ruptures of the eardrum occur.

Grabbing by hand, squeezing with fingers may leave bruises in the form of rounded stripes, especially in persons with increased fragility of blood vessels. The shape of the bruises allows us to determine the mechanism of their occurrence in such cases.

Injuries caused by the foot are much less common than with a fist. If blows are struck with a foot shod in some kind of shoe, damage remains on the body, sometimes allowing one to answer the question about the wounding object. The extent of damage that occurs when a person is trampled while lying down is in some cases so great that one has to think about another type of injury. Impacts with a shod foot can cause, in addition to abrasions and bruises, fractures of bones and larger ones than from blows with a fist: bones of the upper limb, foot, fibula, especially the condyles. Closed ruptures of internal organs: liver, spleen, stomach, intestines are also quite common.

Chest compression with knee can cause a fracture of the sternum, indirect and direct fractures of the ribs.

Damage left by teeth are a material reflection of dental status. These traces can be used to identify the person who left them. Teeth marks are divided into bites, bites, nibbles and imprints.

When bitten, these features in the sliding area are displayed in the form of abrasions, scratches, and superficial wounds.

When a bite occurs, incomplete separation of a part of the body by the teeth occurs on the edges of the bites and adjacent skin, the same features of the dental status can be displayed; In addition, when bitten, quite large irregularities in the outer and inner surfaces of the teeth are sometimes displayed, and volumetric traces from parts of the crowns that have sunk into the body can even be revealed.

When biting, lacerations are left with elements of tissue rupture from stretching; the features of the teeth are revealed worse and with distortions, but the same signs as in the bites can be displayed at the edges of the wound; these wounds are often complicated by some kind of infection.

A mark-imprint is a superficial version of a bite; it displays signs of the width of the crowns, interdental spaces, curvature of the dentition, and incorrect placement of individual teeth; As a rule, these signs are weakly expressed and require especially careful study and recording. To conduct a full-fledged medical and forensic identification examination, careful and detailed recording of dental marks on the corpse is necessary. Comparative material is experimental teeth marks. They can be obtained directly from the suspect, or, more conveniently and accurately, from high-quality models of his jaws. adding to the existing bite. These manipulations require technical assistance from a dentist (with appropriate legal documentation, of course). Damage caused by teeth occurs both during attack and defense. The first are located on the face, neck, shoulders, chest. Protective injuries most often occur on the fingers and other parts of the hand, on the forearms, but can also occur on the face and neck.

Thus, the nature, extent, shape and localization of damage that occurs when inflicted by an unarmed person are different and depend on the physical development of the attacker. Sometimes such injuries result in the death of the victim at the scene. In this regard, blows to the neck with the edge of the palm are very dangerous due to the possibility of shock or rupture of a carotid aneurysm.

7.3. Injuries caused by blunt objects with a flat surface in the hands

person

Objects with a flat striking surface are: boards, bricks, hammers, etc. The effect of such items can be widespread, limited and mixed; This depends both on the size of the striking surface and on the part of the body where the blow is struck.

With widespread action the striking surface (for example, boards) is larger than the area of ​​the body being struck. In such cases, round or oval bruises with vaguely defined edges form, abrasions are observed when sliding, and if the object is very heavy, fractures can occur (in particular, fractures of the skull bones from compression). The common effect of a flat object occurs on rounded parts of the body: on the head, in the area of ​​the shoulder joint, knee, etc.

With limited action the striking surface is smaller than the damaged surface of the body. When struck with such objects (for example, a hammer), bruises form, often with bruising at the edges. With a high impact force, bruised, lacerated and bruised-lacerated skin wounds, crushed muscles and even perforated fractures of the bones of the cranial vault are possible. The shape and size of these damages sometimes correspond to the striking surface of the damaging object, which can be used to establish the type of weapon, and in some cases, its individual characteristics. Bruised wounds are characterized by uneven, raw, bruised edges and connective tissue bridges in depth.

With mixed action the object comes into contact with the body, on the one hand, with its edge, and on the other, the striking surface of the object extends beyond the damaged surface. In such cases, according to the edge of the striking object, damage is formed, similar to the latter, as with a limited action, but with an incomplete imprint of the object. Terrace-shaped fractures often occur on the bones of the cranial vault due to such action of wounding objects.

When exposed to large objects with a flat surface (thick boards, etc.), when they are in the hands of a physically strong person, significant damage can occur, including comminuted fractures of the bones of the cranial vault. Such injuries are often similar to other types of injuries, and the issue of a wounding object in some cases can only be resolved by the method of exclusion. One of the differential signs in this case is the absence of data indicating a general concussion of the body.

7.4. Damage caused by blunt objects with a rounded surface in human hands

Objects with a rounded surface are round sticks (metal, wood, plastic, etc.), crowbars, weights, bottles, etc. The most powerful effect of such objects is manifested on the protruding surface of the body, in the area of ​​the head, shoulder joints, lateral surfaces of the chest, etc. The type of damage that occurs depends on the shape of the rounded object (cylindrical or spherical), its size and the force of impact.

Objects with a rounded surface(especially cylindrical) during their action cause maximum compression of tissues at the point of contact. As a result, blood is squeezed out according to the convex parts of the wounding object. Therefore, when hitting with sticks, tight rope, etc. Often linear bruises appear in the form of two stripes with a break in the middle.

Cylindrical surface of objects(stick, crowbar, bottle, etc.) can produce long, sometimes linear wounds with bruised and raw edges when struck. Wounds of this kind are often combined with fractures of the underlying bones (skull, ribs, sternum), which are also observed when the integrity of the skin is preserved. These closed or open fractures of the underlying bones can sometimes correspond in shape and size of the impression to the shape and size of the striking surface of the tool.

When struck with cylindrical objects with considerable force in places where bones are close (for example, on the head), bruised wounds are often formed that have uneven, raw, bruising edges. The main feature of such wounds is the presence of connective tissue bridges at their ends. The shape of bruised wounds largely depends on the characteristics of the rounded surface of the wounding object.

Objects with a spherical striking surface: balls, weights, spoons, etc., when applied with little force, lead to the formation of bruises, often round in shape. If the blow is applied with great force, star-shaped or irregularly shaped wounds with a round or oval area of ​​injury appear on the skin. The edges of such wounds may bleed. In such cases, depressed fractures form on the bones of the cranial vault.

7.5. Damage caused by hand objects with angular edges

Depending on the number of planes forming an angular edge, objects are distinguished with a dihedral (for example, the edges of boards, bricks, etc.), with a trihedral, tetrahedral and polyhedral angle (the corner of a brick, the butt of an ax, a hammer, etc.). The angular edges of objects represent a transition from the typically blunt (flat or rounded) surface to the sharp edges and ends that characterize sharp tools, and the sharper the angle, the easier the wound is formed and the closer the action approaches chopping.

The shape and size of the damage depend on the characteristics of the angular edge. When struck by objects with a dihedral straight edge(board, etc.) longitudinal bruises or wounds are formed. Objects with a dihedral, arched edge, like the bottom of a bottle, will give bruises or wounds of an arched shape.

The degree of severity of bruising in the circumference of the wound depends on the angle between the planes of the object, and the smaller the angle, the less pronounced the hemorrhage at the edges of the wound. As the angle of the damaging object sharpens, the edges of the wound become smoother.

When struck by objects with polyhedral (pyramidal) angles characteristic star-shaped wounds are formed, and the number of rays of the wound often corresponds to the number of edges (ribs) converging at an angle. Thus, an object with a triangular angle (for example, the corner of a brick, board) produces a three-ray abrasion or wound, each ray of which is formed by the edge of the corner of the object. These rays, abrasions or wounds can be of varying lengths depending on the direction of the blow.

Trihedral, polyhedral and cone-shaped blunt angles According to the mechanism of action, they are transitional to piercing weapons. Moreover, the sharper the angle, the less pronounced the bruising and settling along the edges of the formed wound. With a significant impact force and sufficient gravity, a tool with a polyhedral angle produces characteristic depressed or perforated fractures of flat bones.

7.6. Combined blunt injuriesobjects in human hands

When exposed to objects with an uneven striking surface A wide variety of injuries occur, depending on which part of the object came into contact with the body. In such cases, upon detailed examination, it is possible to find individual elements of damage characteristic of flat, rounded and angular objects, since individual parts of uneven objects may have flat, rounded and angular surfaces.

It should be borne in mind that the same object can cause a variety of damage, since blows are applied by different surfaces of the object and at different angles relative to the surface of the body. For example, a piece of brick can act as an object with a flat, angular or uneven surface depending on which part of it caused the damage. This circumstance must be taken into account when studying multiple injuries.

When caused by blunt objects made of glass(for example, a bottle), various types of damage may occur. If the object does not break, the damage will be similar to that caused by a blunt object with a rounded surface. If an object breaks upon impact, then parts of it that have sharp ends and edges cause damage as from sharp objects.

If during a forensic medical examination of a corpse a question arises about the possibility of damage caused by a glass object, it is necessary to subject the wound channel to additional examination. To do this, the soft tissue of the wound canal is placed in a vessel and destroyed with a mixture of concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids. The glass fragments are preserved and can be detected by microscopy of the residue.

Based on the described features of damage caused by hand-held blunt tools (flat, rounded, angular and with an uneven surface), it follows that it is extremely difficult to determine the type, and especially the specific instance of the tool, based on the properties of the damage. Identification may facilitate the discovery in the wound of a fragment of a tool or object with which the wound was inflicted.

7.7. The main issues resolved by forensic medical examination in cases of damage from blunt instruments (objects)

If injuries from blunt instruments (objects) are suspected, the forensic medical expert may be asked the following questions:

1. What injuries were found on the victim (living person, corpse) and what could have caused them?

2. What is the amount of damage? What is the mechanism of formation of these lesions?

3. Do the detected damages have signs that allow one to establish the size, shape, structure and other features of the damaged object, as well as identify it?

4. Are the injuries caused by parts of the human body (head, legs, fists, teeth)?

5. If several injuries are found on the victim, what is the sequence of their infliction? Are they caused by the same or different objects?

6. How long ago was each injury caused?

7. What is the sequence of damage?

8. Could the damage have been caused by the objects presented to the expert?

9. Which of the items submitted for examination could have been damaged?

10. In what position was the victim at the time of the injury?

11. What was the relative position of the victim and the attacker at the time of the damage?

12. Are there any injuries on the victim’s body that are characteristic of wrestling and self-defense?

13. Was the damage caused by your own hand or someone else’s?

14. Was alcohol (drugs) taken shortly before death?

15. Are there traces of blood, hair, overlays of organ cells and tissues, as well as clothing fibers on the object?

16. If there is blood on an object, what is its species, group and gender?

17. If there are overlays of cells on an object, what are their organ, tissue, group and gender affiliations?

18. In cases of examination of corpses, is this injury the cause of death?

20. Were the injuries caused intra- or post-mortem?

Blunt objects, tools, and weapons can cause a variety of injuries - from superficial to deep and extensive. Their nature depends on the object and the force with which it acts on the fabric. Therefore, when examining victims, the most detailed examination of the damage is required with the naked eye, under a microscope, and ultraviolet rays. The latter sometimes makes it possible to identify invisible changes, subcutaneous hemorrhages, characteristic contamination and other features. Matching a suspected or known weapon to the damage allows a specific item to be confirmed or ruled out. Photographing the damage and comparing it with the attack weapon can be of great help in this regard. Damage must be described and measured. Its specific details are also measured and photographed. Such recording of damage and circumstances of the incident with mandatory sequential photography can sometimes help to establish the posture and relative position of the parties to the conflict.

7.8. Injuries during sports

A sports injury is a consequence of athletes failing to comply with safety precautions and insurance rules when performing complex exercises. The nature of the resulting damage depends on the type of sport. This circumstance requires the forensic expert to familiarize himself with the rules for conducting training or competitions and participate in the inspection of the scene of the incident (especially the equipment on which the victim performed).

Injuries that occur during sports activities usually become the subject of investigation when they indicate any violations of the rules for organizing and conducting sports activities. As experience shows, each sport corresponds to certain injuries. This should be taken into account when conducting the examination and, if necessary, attract the required specialists (sports doctors, coaches, instructors, etc.) to participate in it.

The most common type of injury during sports activities is dislocations, since athletes very often have to make sudden movements when any part of the body is fixed (for example, the foot when jumping, throwing a hammer, discus, etc.). If you fall while exercising on the crossbar, you often experience fractures of the cervical or thoracic spine. When diving into water, not only spinal fractures are possible, but also fractures of the skull bones.

With excessive overexertion during competitions or immoderate training requiring great physical activity, death can occur from acute heart failure. In such cases, questions arise about whether the athlete could engage in this sport, as well as about the correctness of medical supervision. It is important to identify any pathology of internal organs.

When conducting a forensic medical examination of sports injuries, it is important to carefully study the rules and features of a particular sport, find out what the real actions of the victim were at the time of injury, whether he followed the sports rules, and whether medical monitoring was carried out over the athlete’s health during training and competitions.

During special sports (in flying clubs, motorcycle clubs, etc.), injuries similar to corresponding transport injuries occur. Therefore, an inspection of vehicles by an expert with the participation of specialists in this sport is necessary.

7.9. Damage caused in a work environment

This group of injuries, as a rule, differs from the previous ones in greater massiveness and severity, since the acting force in such cases usually significantly exceeds the strength of a person. The nature of damage to machine parts is very diverse, depending on the design features of the machines and the mechanism of injury. Most often, there are impacts from any machine parts, flying parts, getting into rotating mechanisms, impact from internal production vehicles, falling from a height or on a plane, etc. The damage observed in this case is in principle similar to damage caused by hand-held blunt instruments, but differs in much greater extent and severity.

The main task of a forensic medical examination of industrial injuries is to establish the technical (material) cause of the injury based on the nature and characteristics of the injuries. Determining the cause of the injury, and especially the method of causing the damage, in such cases often presents great difficulties for the expert due to the lack of reliable preliminary information and ignorance of the nature of the technological processes.

Significant difficulties in the investigation of accidents in some industries force the investigative authorities to raise a number of complex questions regarding the mechanism of injury, the time of death, the instrument that caused the injury, the position in which the victim was at the time of injury, etc. Particularly greater difficulties arise for investigation and examination bodies in cases of combined industrial injuries, when the question of mixed liability arises.

For the correct forensic medical diagnosis of cases of industrial injuries, an inspection of the scene of the incident with the participation of a forensic expert is of great importance, which is currently, unfortunately, done extremely rarely in practice.

In agricultural production, damage caused by animals is sometimes observed. Thus, when struck by a horse’s hooves, ruptures of internal organs, rib fractures, and skull fractures with damage to the substance of the brain occur. Blows from the horns of a bull or cow are often accompanied by deep lacerations, sometimes penetrating into the cavity of the chest and abdomen. Damage from the teeth of large animals is usually extensive, depending on the structure of the jaws and the strength and sharpness of their teeth.

7.10. Damage caused by falling from a height

The nature and severity of injuries from a fall from a height depends on many factors; and above all, on the height of the fall, the characteristics of the soil and objects on which the fall occurred, and the posture of the victim. At the same time, the area of ​​the body that hit it at the time of the fall, the presence or absence of protruding objects that the victim’s body could hit during the fall and, of course, the state of health and individual characteristics of the victim are important. The height of the fall varies widely: from the height of a person (a fall on a plane) to several tens or hundreds of meters (a fall from a greater height).

At direct fall The main damage to the human body occurs from a single impact on the surface. At indirect fall During its movement, the body encounters any protruding objects with a limited traumatic surface (balconies, cornices, satellite dishes, etc.).

When any building structure collapses, various objects fall along with the human body (not free fall), which can cause damage to it both during movement and after the body falls to the surface.

The nature of the surface on which the victim fell is of great importance. The harder the landing site, the more extensive the damage. The latter led to death even in cases of falling on stairs, on asphalt from a height of one’s own height or from a height of up to one meter. Regardless of the conditions, falls from a height of more than 20-25 m almost always result in death, and a fall on the back can be accompanied by significantly less damage than a fall on the legs. This is explained by the body’s greatest resistance to the influence of lateral overloads.

During the investigation, it is of great importance to study the place from which the fall could have occurred, in particular, the possibility of an independent fall or jumping out of a window, from a roof, etc.

Example.

On January 17, 1998, an examination was carried out on the corpse of citizen M., 66 years old, who died as a result of a fall from the 13th floor of a residential building on Ryazansky Avenue. During her lifetime, citizen M., after suffering two cerebral hemorrhages, moved independently around the apartment, but with great difficulty. The lower edge of the window from where the fall occurred was 1.2 m from the floor, the window sill was 57 cm wide. The deceased was short, obese, with a sharply limited ability to move.

The state of health of the deceased during her lifetime, as well as her extremely poor relationship with her relatives, made it possible to suspect a situation in which she was thrown out of a window for the purpose of murder. A thorough examination of the scene of the incident and, in particular, the presence of an ottoman at the window, the discovery of a corpse directly against the wall of a 16-story building, the position of the corpse and other features gave reason to talk about the possibility of the victim falling on her own with the aim of committing suicide. This was confirmed by the deceased’s suicide note found in the apartment some time later.

One of the common signs of a fall from a height is the predominance of internal damage that occurs from the body’s shaking over external damage that occurs at the moment of impact with the surface. External injuries are in the nature of abrasions and bruises (bruised wounds are very rare). They often display the relief of the surface on which the fall occurred. During internal examination, as a rule, multiple fractures of skeletal bones are noted, as well as tears and ruptures of internal organs (roots of the lungs, large vessels at the base of the heart, ligaments and capsule of the liver, etc.).

Based on the nature and location of skeletal bone fractures, in some cases it is possible to recreate the picture of the incident, including establishing which part of the body the fall occurred on. So, if you fall on your feet, impacted fractures of the shin and thigh bones, as well as circular fractures of the bones of the base of the skull are possible. In cases of falling on the head, fractures of the skull bones and compression fractures of the vertebral bodies of the cervical spine are formed. Therefore, when examining such a corpse, it is necessary to open the spinal canal, the muscles of the back and limbs, including the feet (if he falls on his feet, hemorrhages will be detected in the muscles of the soles of the feet).

When falling on a plane (from one's own height), fractures of the skull bones often occur in the occipital or temporal region, accompanied by intracranial hemorrhages and compression of the brain. Signs of body concussion (tears of the roots of the lungs, liver ligaments, etc.) are, as a rule, absent.

Example.

Citizen A., 31 years old, on January 19, 1998, while working, slipped and hit his head on a hard, blunt object. 3 hours later he felt dizzy and died 6 hours later.

Forensic diagnosis: massive subarachnoid hemorrhage. Small foci of hemorrhages in the right half of the brain with softening of the latter. Superficial skin abrasion in the right occipital-parietal region. Hemorrhages in the subcutaneous tissue under the abrasion.

As is known, special difficulties arise when it is necessary to determine whether the damage was caused by a blunt object or a fall. If the damage does not have any features characterizing the object that caused the damage, then differential diagnosis is very difficult. In such cases, it is necessary to pay attention to the localization of the damage, the possibility or impossibility of such localization causing damage from an impact with any blunt object. When falling, damage typical of this mechanism may occur. Most often, while walking, when a person slips or stumbles, he falls backwards on his back and hits the back of his head. In this case, there are often cracks in the occipital bone and bruises of the brain. When falling on the buttocks, fractures of the coccyx occur. If you fall on your side or forward, which is much less common, there may be bruises on the upper limbs and face. Falls forward and on the side often occur on an outstretched arm, resulting in fractures of the wrist bones and the lower epiphysis of the radius. There are also symmetrically located abrasions and bruises on the anterior surface of the knee joints and on the palms. A conclusion about the origin of the damage, when attributing it to a fall, must be made based on a comparison of objective data with the circumstances of the incident. If necessary, resort to demonstration at the scene of the incident or an investigative experiment conducted by the investigator. Extensive damage is observed during a work-related injury.

Falling from a height is usually the result of an accident. Less commonly, it is used for suicide. In forensic investigative practice, there are known cases of murders by throwing persons in a helpless state (in a state of alcohol or drug intoxication) from a height.

7.11. The main issues addressed by forensic medical examination in cases of falls from height

1. What damage was discovered during the examination of the victim? What is the mechanism of their formation? Are they typical for falling from a height?

2. In what position was the victim’s body at the moment of impact with the surface? What part of the body did you fall on?

3. Is it possible to determine from the characteristics of the injuries whether the victim tried to coordinate the process of falling?

4. Did all the damage result from a fall from a height? Are there any other injuries on the victim? If such damage exists, what object caused it?

5. Is it possible for all damage to form under given conditions?

6. What type of fall (free, unfree, direct, indirect)?

7. If the fall is indirect, is it possible for damage to occur on certain segments of the fall trajectory?

8. Intravital or postmortem damage resulting from a fall from a height?

9. Did the victim drink alcohol (drugs) shortly before the fall?

10. If there is blood on the plane of fall, what is its species, group and gender?

11. If there are overlapping cells on the plane of incidence, what are their organ, tissue, group and gender affiliations?

12. In cases of examination of corpses, which of the injuries is the cause of death?

Control questions

1. What damage is caused by an unarmed person?

2. What damage is caused by blunt objects?

3. What issues are resolved by forensic medical examination in case of injuries caused by blunt instruments (objects)?

4. What injuries occur during sports and in a work environment?

5. What damage occurs when falling from a height?

6. What issues are resolved by forensic medical examination in cases of falls from height?

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Blunt objects are widely used in everyday life and at work. Depending on the purpose of a blunt object, they are distinguished: tools - objects made for use in labor processes (hammer, shovel, etc.), weapons - objects intended for attack or defense (brass knuckles, baton) and random objects (stone, stick and etc.). Blunt trauma is also caused by the so-called weapons of natural defense and attack - the unarmed hands, feet, teeth of a person or animal. Injuries from blunt objects occur when exposed to moving parts of vehicles, falling from a height, in industrial conditions, or while playing sports. There are hard and soft blunt objects (M.I. Raisky, 1953), the latter may not leave external traces.

Blunt objects have different shapes, masses, edges, ends, the force, mechanism and conditions of their action are different, which leads to a wide variety of damage caused by these objects. This creates difficulties when trying to isolate distinct groups of blunt objects. There is no classification of them in the literature. We consider the most successful classification by A.I. Mukhanov (1969), which is based on the characteristics of blunt objects, reflected in signs of damage. The author identifies the following types of blunt objects:

1) with a flat predominant surface (slab, board);

2) with a flat limited surface (hammer, stone); in this group, flat objects with a rectangular, oblong, triangular, round and other surface and with a characteristic relief are distinguished;

3) with a spherical surface (dumbbells, weights);

4) with a cylindrical surface (stick, pipe);

5) with a triangular angle;

6) with an edge or a dihedral angle, which are divided into objects with a rectangular and arcuate edge and objects with an edge of a different shape.

Injuries caused by blunt objects have always occupied a significant place both in sectional and especially in outpatient practice when conducting forensic medical examinations. Various authors provide mortality rates for injuries caused by hard blunt objects. For example, according to N.G. Petrosyan (1954), it accounted for 80% of the total number of deaths from mechanical injuries. L. S. Velisheva and R. L. Shimanovich (1968) note that blunt trauma took first place among all causes of violent death and accounted for 40 - 45% of their total number. According to A.N. Kuryshev and A.A. Serin (1973), injuries from blunt objects accounted for 7.2.7% of all fatal injuries, of which in 8.3 cases death occurred due to blows from blunt hard objects. R. Yu. Bulin (1970) indicates that injuries with manual blunt objects accounted for 14.9% of all fatal blunt injuries. According to L. M. Bedrin and E. M. Epstein (1975), injuries with blunt objects (without transport trauma) accounted for 16.9% of all cases of mechanical damage.

In outpatient practice, when examining living persons, the first place among all injuries is occupied by the so-called blunt trauma, which most often occurs due to blows. Non-fatal injuries caused by blunt objects were noted by N. G. Petrosyan (1955) in 7-1% of all bodily injuries. S. B. Baikovsky (1959) reports that injuries from blunt objects to living persons were observed in 87% of all injuries: in 46% of cases they were inflicted by weapons of natural defense and attack, in 41% by random objects and special weapons. According to the Chisinau Forensic Medical Outpatient Clinic, injuries caused by an unarmed person accounted for 6-4% of all mechanical injuries. Most often they were localized on the limbs (N.M. Volkova, I.P. Maksimov, 1968). R. L. Shimanovich (1966) notes that victims of actions with blunt objects accounted for 6 0 - 6 5% of all examined in the outpatient clinic of the Moscow Forensic Medical Examination Bureau. According to the materials of the interdistrict forensic medical examination of the city of Siauliai, injuries from blunt objects in living persons amounted to 82.2% of household injuries (L. M. Deringas, 1968).

Depending on the conditions and circumstances of the occurrence of injuries caused by blunt objects, the following types of injuries are distinguished:

1. Occupational injuries (industrial and agricultural).

2. Transport (road, rail, water, air).

3. Household (various damages resulting from malicious actions or accidentally in everyday life).

4. Street, or pedestrian, injuries (damage that occurred on the street).

5. Military (combat and non-combat).

6. Sports.

Injuries from actions with blunt objects can occur during impact, compression, prolonged contact of the object with the body, stretching and sliding when the object touches the skin. Depending on the nature of the impact, injuries are divided into bruises, abrasions, wounds, fractures, dislocations, ruptures of organs, crushing and dismemberment of the body. In most cases, they are localized on the face, upper and lower extremities, scalp, and less often on the chest and back.

Very rarely, usually due to transport trauma, injuries caused by blunt objects occur on the lower back and abdomen.

The description of damage must be objective and complete. For this, the so-called method of verbal photography is used, which provides a verbal image of an object without any conclusions or generalizations. In this case, the following provisions must be displayed.

1. Localization of damage. It is necessary to indicate specifically (for example, it is not enough to indicate that the wound is on the scalp; it is necessary to note in which area of ​​the head it is localized).

2. Nature of the damage (abrasion, bruise, wound); at the same time, in the descriptive part one should not make such entries as “bruised wound”, “cut wound”, etc., because this can only follow from the description of the wound itself and should then be noted in the conclusion in the form of a diagnosis.

3. Size of damage. Usually the length and width of the damage are measured in centimeters, and in the presence of wounds, if possible, their depth (in centimeters or indicating the damaged layers). When measuring, caution and asepsis should be observed.

4. Shape of damage (linear, round, oval, triangular, square, irregularly linear, irregularly rectangular, etc.).

5. Color of damage. When describing colors, they usually use the colors of the visible part of the spectrum and the corresponding transitional colors (for example, pale bluish with a greenish tint).

6. The nature of the edges and ends of the panels (smooth, uneven, upset, undermined, crushed edges; sharp, blunt, U-shaped or rounded ends, etc.).

7. The presence of bridges, purulent discharge, granulations in the wound with a description of the location, color, quantity and other signs.

8. The presence and severity of hemorrhages around the injury and in the underlying tissues.

9. Presence of any deposits, foreign particles, or contamination in the area of ​​damage.

10. Description of other features observed in the area of ​​injury.

Each of the following signs may be important when resolving issues posed by judicial investigative authorities:

1. What weapon caused the damage?

2. What features (shape, size, features of edges, ends, relief, etc.) allow us to establish the individual qualities of an object?

3. Was the damage caused by a weapon similar to the one presented for examination?

4. Was the damage caused by the weapon presented for examination?

5. Was damage caused by one or more objects?

6. Did the damage occur due to impact?

7. What is the sequence of striking?

8. What is the direction of impact?

9. The relative position of the victim and the attacker at the moment of the blow?

10. Could the victim have caused the damage with his own hand?

In each specific case, there may be other questions, but the main ones are always those related to the definition of the injuring instrument and the mechanism of its action.

To resolve these issues, it is necessary to identify various signs of damage. For this purpose, in addition to visual observation, it is necessary to use additional research methods. It should be noted that when examining corpses or living persons, the injuries that were treated change and it is difficult to establish their initial signs. W. Durwald (1966) notes that doctors, when providing assistance, do not fulfill the basic requirements of criminologists (they do not preserve the excised edges of the wound, on which the smallest traces that are important for drawing up a conclusion can be identified). In such cases, many authors attach great importance to the correct filling out of medical histories by doctors, with a detailed description of the injuries, so that the forensic expert can use it to draw up a conclusion (L. N. Dodina, 1968; A. N. Samoilichenko, 1969) .

J. R. Waltz and F. E. Inbau (1971) believe that when saving a wounded person, the doctor is not able to describe the damage, but after providing first aid he is obliged to do so. In addition, in their opinion, the doctor should draw up a diagram of the injury area and photograph the damage.

The successful resolution of issues posed by judicial investigative authorities largely depends on the quality of the examinations carried out. V. M. Smolyaninov (1943) points out that sources of expert errors in the study of mechanical damage include undetected damage, summation of several damage into groups, inaccurate and incomplete descriptions, and negligence in the preparation of documentation. The author notes that when using microscopic and histological methods of examination, diagnosing injuries caused by blunt objects is usually not difficult. However, the investigative authorities cannot be satisfied with the answer about the presence and nature of the damage. They need to know what kind of weapon caused the injuries and how it acted. Most errors occur when solving these issues.

Without dwelling in detail on all the defects in examinations regarding injuries caused by blunt objects, we note the most characteristic ones, identified during the analysis of the conclusions of forensic medical examinations of corpses, examinations of living persons, examinations of medical documents carried out in the Chita and Gorky Regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Examinations. Although the identified defects mainly characterize the state of the examination of the 60s, nevertheless, as practice shows, they are not uncommon at the present time. Therefore, we consider it necessary to draw the attention of forensic experts to these shortcomings as the main sources of possible errors.

Serious shortcomings of forensic medical examination of corpses and especially examination of living persons include an incomplete description of injuries. Usually only their location, shape and size are indicated. By the way, too often experts refer to an indefinite form of damage, without even trying to establish which geometric figure it best corresponds to. Often, when describing wounds, we are limited to those properties that, although under certain conditions are encountered under the action of a blunt object, are not characteristic of it (linear shape, smooth edges, sharp ends). In these cases, for correct diagnosis, it is important to note any other details detected using additional research methods.

An incomplete description of injuries is especially typical for reports drawn up in an outpatient clinic when examining living persons; the less severe the injury, the less attention is paid to its description. Sometimes the records are so laconic and vague that they can only be used to judge the presence of damage, but it is impossible to resolve the issue of the injured weapon.

It should be noted that the description of wounds subjected to surgical treatment is usually limited to indicating the size of the damage and the number of sutures applied. They often ignore the fact that after treating a wound, its shape may be preserved and some part of its edge may remain unexcised. When examining injuries caused by blunt objects, even this meager information can be important.

Unsatisfactory examination and incomplete description of damage negatively affects the quality of conclusions. Most contain the standard conclusion that “the injury is in the nature of blunt trauma.” In cases where an alleged weapon is submitted for examination, the conclusion usually indicates the possibility of its use without any objective evidence. Such conclusions are vague and may not always satisfy the judicial investigative authorities.

In cases where the descriptive part of the report does not contain detailed information about both the damage and the alleged or presented as material evidence of the injuring weapon, it is almost impossible for the expert to draw the correct conclusion.

Another defect of the conclusions we analyze is the insufficient use of physical, technical and laboratory research methods, which are often called additional, despite the fact that some of them currently form the basis of the research part of the examination. These include photographic, radiographic research methods and direct microscopy, which were often used in practice when examining injuries from sharp or firearms, very rarely when examining corpses, and were not used at all when examining living persons in cases of examining injuries caused by blunt objects.

As for research methods that are not included in the daily practice of forensic medical examination of blunt trauma or are not developed for the study of injuries caused by blunt objects to the skin and clothing, some of them were used only in single examinations when examining a corpse. These include traceological methods, the method of color prints, chemical methods of detecting metal, identifying the overlap of animals and textile fabrics on instruments of injury.

It should be noted that, unfortunately, in practice, identifying the instrument of injury is almost always based only on a comparison of the shape and size of the damage with the impact surface of the alleged instrument. As a result, the percentage of errors increases, since impacts with even one object can cause damage of various shapes and sizes. Thus, in one of our observations, many wounds on the head were caused by blows with a hammer with a quadrangular striking surface. They had linear, arched, triangular, angular and irregularly rounded shapes.

A blunt instrument that caused an injury is very rarely submitted for examination, and sometimes it goes straight to the physical and technical department. Meanwhile, in our opinion, the instrument of injury should first of all be the object of study by the forensic expert who carried out the study, and then by the expert of the physical and technical department. The final conclusion about the weapon used should be made only by a forensic expert.

It should also be noted that damage to clothing very often escapes the attention of the expert. Sometimes, when describing them, only the shape and features of the edges of damage to textile fabrics, identified microscopically, are noted, but even these data, with rare exceptions, are not reflected in the conclusion.

Quite often, medical histories serve as a source of evidence during a forensic medical examination. Despite the fact that in recent years a forensic medical examination has often been carried out in a hospital with an examination of the victim, the medical history is still an important, and sometimes the only source of obtaining medical information. This happens because by the time of examination the damage has already undergone surgical treatment or its nature has changed as a result of the healing process. In these cases, the correct solution to issues related to determining the item used, its mechanism of action and other points depends on the quality of filling out the medical history. Very often, medical histories have significant shortcomings from an expert point of view, primarily associated with an overly brief description of the injury, which can only be justified by the extremely serious condition of the patient.

We looked at how questions about a functioning item are resolved in cases where the expert has brief, unclear or incorrect information about the damage. It turned out that in more than 80% of cases, the forensic expert, based on the medical history data, could not name the object that caused the damage, although he determined the type of weapon used.

Sometimes the expert relies on specific information contained in the medical history (the words of the patient or the data of the decision about the injured object).

Citizen N. was admitted to the surgical department of a city hospital with complaints of pain in the area of ​​his head wounds. The condition is satisfactory. According to the victim, on the day of admission, a drunken neighbor hit him on the head with some hard object.

Objectively: in the right parietal region there is a linear wound 6 cm long, in the left temporal region there is a wound 4.5 cm long. The edges of both wounds are smooth, the ends are sharp. Based on these data, a diagnosis was made: chopped head wounds. The decision ordering an examination that accompanied this medical history indicated that citizen N.’s wounds were inflicted by a scoop.

Apparently, for the forensic expert, the reference to the scoop as a traumatic instrument seemed more plausible than the description of the wounds in the medical record, since he concluded that the wounds were caused by a blunt object, such as the narrow part of the scoop. Meanwhile, the description of the wounds did not contain any signs characteristic of the action of a blunt object. On the contrary, the data were more indicative of the action of a chopping instrument, as determined by the attending physician. In such cases, the expert must personally examine the wounds using stereomicroscopy, and if it is impossible to conduct such an examination, refuse to resolve the issue of the injuring instrument.

It should be noted that during an examination in a hospital (as well as in an outpatient clinic), a forensic expert usually does not examine clothing that may show signs of traumatic impact, and does not use data obtained from examining the instrument of injury to draw up a conclusion. Some data obtained from the analysis of forensic documentation and medical histories are of interest to substantiate the feasibility of our research and the recommendations made. Identified omissions and negligence in filling out documents have a negative impact on the preparation of an expert opinion. Some of them may be the result of the expert's inexperience, others are typical and often repeated. We pay special attention to them.

The quality of the forensic medical examination is also significantly influenced by the accompanying documentation. However, orders ordering a forensic medical examination usually contain very brief information regarding the circumstances of the case. In most cases, the question is raised about the nature of the damage and the injured object. Sometimes a decision to order an examination is not made at all, and the documents sent to the forensic expert do not set out the circumstances of the case and only raise the question of the cause of death. Very often, the expert is not provided with a report of the inspection of the crime scene, and representatives of the investigative authorities are not present during the forensic medical examination.

Literature used: Forensic medical examination of injuries

blunt objects: textbook. allowance / V. I. Akopov
edited by M. V. Kalinkin - M.: Mudicina Publishing House, 1978.

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Examination of impact with blunt objects is one of the types of forensic medical examination. Similar studies are carried out to identify the instruments of crime that caused bodily harm to the victim. Examination of exposure to blunt objects is carried out both in relation to living people and in relation to corpses. The objective of the study is to determine the shape and appearance of the object with which the victim was injured. If this is possible, then determine the type of weapon directly.

Examination of impact with blunt objects, like most similar studies, is based on the study of traces left by the crime weapon, that is, on the analysis of existing injuries. Damage is examined, described, classified according to its shape and other characteristics. An idea is formed of the object to which they could have been applied.

A blunt object is a tool and thing of everyday use that affects the body exclusively with its surface. This surface can be smooth or have some textured feature (roughness).

The morphology of bodily injuries caused by blunt objects is extremely diverse, which is explained by their size, shape, elasticity and strength, and surface features. The location and direction of damage and the kinetic energy of the traumatic object also matter.

Speaking about the form of a traumatic object, we can distinguish the following types:

• Flat. At the same time, it can have a regular geometric shape (triangular, oval, square, etc.), a complex shape (for example, star-shaped), and also be of irregular shape.
• Angular. An object has faces, vertices, or edges.
• Curved. Spherical, cylindrical, cone-shaped and other objects have this shape.
• Combined. That is, combining some of the above forms.

Mechanism of injury caused by a blunt object

There are four basic types of blunt force:

1. Hit.
2. Compression.
3. Stretching.
4. Friction.

Impact is understood as a short-term process of contact of a blunt object with the body (or part of the body) of a person. In this case, the object exerts a unilateral effect on the human body (part of the body), characterized by an impulsive centripetal nature. The shorter the exposure time, the greater the amount of energy transferred to the victim, thereby causing an increase in the area and volume of injury. Impact can also be caused by a stationary object. The greater the mass of the object and the force applied to it, the more severe the damage.

Compression is characterized by two objects centripetally acting on the body or part of it. When objects are compressed, they move towards each other, and in most cases one of them is movable and the other is not. The compression can be short-term or long-term.

Stretching is the result of the centripetal impact on the body or part of it of two objects moving away from each other. One of the objects is fixed motionless and fixes the body or part of it, and the second moves, moving away from the first.

During friction, an object moves relative to a body while simultaneously coming into contact with it. Both the body and the traumatic object can be mobile.

Types of damage caused by blunt objects

The type of injury depends on how it was inflicted. As a result of impacts, bruised wounds or fractures are formed. Compression causes various types of flattening of body parts, characteristic crushing of tissues and organs. Sprains are characterized by lacerations and skin detachment. For friction - extensive, numerous abrasions occupying a large surface area of ​​the skin. However, it should be understood that the same types of damage can be caused by different exposures. For example, bruising occurs due to both impact and pressure. Abrasions occur from impacts and friction. But ruptures of internal organs can be the result of impact, compression or stretching.

The following types of damage are distinguished:

• Abrasion.
• Bruising (hemorrhage, hematoma).
• Wound.
• Fracture.
• Damage to an internal organ (or several).
• Transport injury.

An abrasion is damage to the upper layers of the skin (not deeper than the papillary layer). Abrasions are formed when the skin comes into tangential contact with blunt objects. If contact occurs with a sharp edge of an object, a linear abrasion is formed, which is more often called a scratch. The number of abrasions in most cases coincides with the number of damaging actions. Exceptions are cases when several protruding parts of the body came into contact with a large surface of the traumatic object. For example, a single fall can cause abrasions on the knees, elbows, palms, etc. The size of the abrasion depends on two parameters: the surface area of ​​the traumatic object and the duration of contact when the blunt object moves along the surface of the body.

During the examination when exposed to blunt objects, analysis of the abrasion allows us to determine:

• force application point;
• properties of the traumatic blunt object;
• direction of traumatic impact;
• duration of damage.

Bruising is an accumulation of blood leaking under pressure from an injured vessel (vessels) in the subcutaneous fatty tissue. At the same time, the integrity of the skin is preserved. Bruising is a characteristic injury caused by blunt objects. They can be localized anywhere in the body. The size of the bruises, as well as their shape, are determined accordingly by the size and shape of the surface of a blunt object in contact with the body. Often the forms of the bruise and the traumatic object coincide. This allows the mechanism of damage to be determined during the examination. For forensic examination, the key point is that when a corpse is struck, no bruising occurs due to the lack of blood circulation in the dead body.

A characteristic property of bruises is a change in color over time. This is due to the chemical transformations of hemoglobin occurring at the site of the bruise. The initial blue-purple color of the bruise changes first to greenish (after 3-4 days), and then to yellow (after 7-9 days).

Hemorrhage is the accumulation of blood leaking from a damaged vessel in the membranes or parenchyma of organs. In some cases, small pinpoint hemorrhages appear in the skin, for example, when a choke loop is applied to the skin of the cervical region.

A hematoma is an accumulation of blood that has leaked from a damaged vessel in a natural or newly formed body cavity. Hematomas can compress vital organs, impairing their functioning.

Analysis of bruises allows you to determine:

• force application point;
• the shape of the traumatic object;
• how long ago the damage was caused.

Wounds include injuries that penetrate deeper than the papillary layer of skin. Characteristic features of wounds include the wound channel and entry hole. Wounds can be blind or through, tangential, penetrating into any body cavity or not, single, combined or multiple. Wounds are also divided into bruised, crushed, lacerated, lacerated and bruised. During the examination, the following is determined:

• properties of the traumatic object;
• direction of movement of the gun;
• the position of the person at the time of injury;
• the possibility (impossibility) of causing a wound independently.

A fracture is a break in the integrity of a bone or cartilage. The fracture can be closed or open. In the latter case, the fracture is accompanied by a wound caused by displacement of a bone fragment. There are also direct and indirect fractures. Direct ones are the result of direct contact with blunt objects, indirect ones are the result of indirect impact, the so-called “fractures along the length”.

Fracture analysis allows us to determine:

• whether there was any violent influence;
• the severity of the damage caused;
• direction of movement of the traumatic object;
• the shape and type of blunt object that caused the fracture.

Damage to internal organs can also result from blunt objects. However, their morphological features provide a very poor idea of ​​the mechanism of application and the properties of the traumatic object. This is due to the distance of the organs from the external boundaries of the body, as a result of which the damage does not have characteristic features indicating signs of a blunt object.

A traffic injury is a bodily injury sustained by a person as a result of contact with a moving vehicle. In most cases, traffic injuries are classified as blunt trauma. The following types of transport injuries are distinguished:

• motorcycle;
• automobile;
• rail;
• aviation.

Fall injuries occur as a result of an impact with an object on which a person falls. A fall can occur from a great height or from one’s own height (so-called flat falls). If nothing prevented the fall, then the injury is the result of a single blow, and then the characteristics of the damage are determined by the relief and size of the surface on which the victim fell. If a body, when falling, hits objects encountered along the way, then such a fall is called a step fall. In this case, the damage is much more complex and numerous.

Damage caused by a person includes injuries caused by blows to parts of the body - fists, ribs of the palms, legs, head, and so on. These injuries also include bites that cause abrasions, bruises, or shallow wounds. It is noteworthy that the lower jaw leaves a steeper arc of marks. Damage caused to the teeth makes it possible to determine the characteristic features of the structure of the jaw and dental apparatus of the attacker: the type of bite, missing teeth, unusual position of the teeth, the special shape of one or more teeth.

In what cases do they resort to examination of impacts with blunt objects?

The examination is carried out during trials related to crimes against health, sexual integrity and human life. The examination is appointed by representatives of the court or investigative authorities, as well as on the initiative of private individuals or their representatives. Most often, examination of exposure to blunt objects is carried out in the following cases:

• The murder weapon must be identified.
• It is necessary to find out what exactly caused the damage.
• It is necessary to establish a correspondence between the item found and the injuries caused.
• It is necessary to determine whether injuries could have been caused by a certain type of object.
• It is necessary to establish the nature and method of injury caused by blunt objects.

What is the legislative framework for the examination of impacts with blunt objects?

Federal Law of May 31, 2001 No. 73-FZ “On State Forensic Expert Activities in the Russian Federation.” Article 25 of the Law describes the procedure for drawing up an expert opinion, as well as the components necessary to be included in it.

What questions should you ask a blunt force trauma examiner?

1. What are the characteristics of a blunt object that caused a particular injury?
2. What can be said about the instrument based on the characteristics of the wound channel?
3. What blunt object could have caused the fracture?
4. What is the mechanism of injury?
5. What types of injuries did the victim receive?
6. Are there any signs that the victim was self-inflicted?
7. What is the shape of the object that caused the damage?
8. What was the direction of movement of the traumatic object?
9. What type of weapon caused the injury?
10. What was the position of the victim at the time the wound was inflicted?
11. How long has it been since bruising occurred?
12. Where was the point of application of force upon impact?
13. Are there any signs of abuse?

The list of suggested questions is not exhaustive. If other questions arise, it is advisable to seek advice from an expert before scheduling an examination.

Cost and terms

• Forensic examination

  A forensic examination is carried out as determined by the court. To appoint an examination to our organization, it is necessary to submit a petition for the appointment of an examination and attach to it an information letter indicating the details of the organization, the possibility of carrying out an examination on the questions raised, the cost and duration of the study, as well as the candidacy of experts indicating their education and work experience. This letter must be certified by the seal of the organization and the signature of its head.

  Our specialists prepare an information letter within one working day, after which we send a scanned copy of it by email. Also, if necessary, the original letter can be picked up at the office of our organization. As a rule, the court does not require the original information letter; it is enough to provide a copy of it.

  The service for compiling an information letter is provided for free.

• Extrajudicial research

  Extrajudicial research is carried out on the basis of a contract with 100% prepayment. The agreement can be concluded with both a legal entity and an individual. To conclude an agreement, it is not necessary to be present at the office of our organization; in this case, the sending of all documents, including the expert opinion, will be carried out using the services of postal operators (Dimex, DHL, PonyExpress), which will take no more than 2-4 working days.

• Review of expert opinion

  A review is necessary in cases where it is necessary to challenge the conclusions of the examination carried out in order to then conduct a repeat study. The conditions for concluding a contract for reviewing are exactly the same as for out-of-court research.

• Receiving written expert advice (certificate)

  The certificate is not a conclusion, it is of an informational nature and contains answers to questions that do not require a full study, but allow one to assess the feasibility of conducting a full examination.

  The conditions for concluding a contract for a certificate are exactly the same as for an out-of-court research.

• Obtaining preliminary expert advice

  Our specialists are ready to answer any of your questions regarding the conduct of judicial and extrajudicial examinations, assess the feasibility of conducting an examination, provide assistance in formulating research questions, advise on the possibility of conducting a particular analysis, and much more.

  Consultation is carried out on the basis of a written request.

  To do this, you need to fill out an online application form (or send us a request by e-mail), where you should describe the circumstances of the case in as much detail as possible, formulate the goals that need to be achieved with the help of the examination, preliminary questions, and, if possible, attach all possible documents and descriptions of objects.

  The more detailed you tell the circumstances of the case, the more productive the expert’s assistance will be.

• Additional services

  Reducing the examination period by half

  30% to cost

  Departure of an expert within the city of Moscow to inspect objects, select samples for research, participate in a court hearing or other events requiring the presence of an expert

  Departure of an expert within the Moscow region

  Departure of an expert to other regions of Russia

  Transport and travel expenses

  Preparation of an additional copy of the expert opinion

  Legal advice on issues not related to the conduct and appointment of examinations

  from 5,000 rub.

  Drawing up a statement of claim

Experts

Expert psychiatrist, full member of the Professional Psychotherapeutic League, member of the Board and scientific secretary of the Russian Psychoanalytic Society

She completed her residency in psychiatry at the Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. During her postgraduate studies at the Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, she worked on the problem of the occurrence of cognitive-behavioral disorders with long-term use of benzodiazepine tranquilizers and cyclodol in patients with schizophrenia. Completed advanced training in the specialty: psychoanalytic psychiatry at the State Scientific Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry named after. V.P. Serbian; majoring in psychotherapy at the Russian State Medical University named after. N.I. Pirogov Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation. Studied at Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov in the program “Psychological counseling and psychodiagnostics of personality”; at the Moscow Institute of Economics, Politics and Law under the program “Modern psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, psychoanalytic counseling.” Conducts professional activities in the field of personality psychodiagnostics, psychological counseling and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, scientific activities in the framework of seminars and conferences in the field of modern psychoanalysis.

Dentist, expert

Specialist in the field of aesthetic dentistry and prosthetics. He has original developments on the preservation and restoration of teeth, planning complex interdisciplinary treatment. Takes part in international congresses on aesthetic dentistry, prosthetics and implantology. She trained abroad for a long time with the world's leading doctors in the field of dentistry. Conducts scientific work.

Damage to soft tissues - mucous membranes, skin, subcutaneous fat, muscles; damage to joints - ligamentous apparatus, joint capsule; damage to bones - periosteum, bones; internal organs, tears, ruptures, crushing, separation of internal organs. The larger the impact area of ​​the damaging object, the less pronounced the destruction at the point of impact. And the phenomena of body shaking, accompanied by ruptures of internal organs, come to the fore. As the area of ​​the impacting object decreases, more significant damage occurs at the point of impact, since the kinetic energy is concentrated in a small area. The impact is exerted only by the contact part of the object, which, in accordance with its characteristics, causes damage of one form or another. When blunt hard objects act on soft tissues, abrasions, bruises, wounds, and hemorrhages are formed.

Abrasions

Abrasions - superficial damage to the skin and mucous membranes due to the action of a blunt hard object at an acute angle, with simultaneous sliding and pressure. The action of a blunt solid object is based on impact, compression and friction. A linear abrasion is called a scratch; abrasion is when a significant area of ​​skin is occupied by an abrasion.

Abrasions vary in size, depth, and shape.

During the healing process, the abrasion goes through several stages: first, the abrasion is pinkish-red, shiny, and located below the skin level - on the 1st day, then a crust forms, which is located at the skin level, the crust begins to rise above the skin level on the 2-3rd day; epithelization occurs under the crust (healing process) - 4-6 days; and on days 7-9 the crust disappears. After the crust falls off, a purple area remains; by the end of the second week, the skin color becomes normal. After an abrasion heals, there is never a scar left, since an abrasion is a superficial injury.

Forensic significance of abrasions:

based on the abrasion, we can talk about the mechanism of damage (abrasions occur from the action of a blunt hard object at an acute angle);

duration of injury (based on healing of the abrasion);

direction of action of the traumatic force (deeper abrasion at the beginning, in the end the abrasion is more superficial);

place of application of force, abrasions are formed at the site of direct impact;

by the shape of the abrasion one can sometimes talk about the nature of the surface of the object, for example, semilunar abrasions in the neck area are formed from the action of the free edge of the nails when crushed by hands, tread marks in the form of characteristic abrasions; sometimes you can talk specifically about an object if there are inclusions in the abrasion (particles of wood, brick, etc.);

an abrasion was caused during life or after death; the post-mortem abrasion (parchment stain) is located below the level of intact skin and with a cross-shaped incision in the area of ​​the parchment stain there is no hemorrhage in the underlying tissues.

14.4.2. Bruising

Bruising are formed by the action of a blunt hard object at a right angle. The action of a blunt hard object is based on impact and compression. Bruises can be superficial, deep, and in size - petechiae, ecchymoses, hematomas.

In the first hours the bruise was red-purple, red-blue, blue. On days 3-6, the bruise takes on a green tint, and on days 6-10 it turns yellow. Minor bruising disappears after two weeks.

Sometimes it is necessary to differentiate a bruise from a cadaveric spot in the imbibition stage. To distinguish a bruise from a cadaveric spot, it is necessary to make a cross-shaped incision at the site of the bruise; a patch of skin soaked in blood and occupying a limited area is visible.

Forensicmeaning of bruises:

we can talk about the mechanism of damage (the action of a blunt solid object at a right angle);

duration of injury based on change in bruise color;

the nature of the surface of the object according to the shape of the bruise, for example, the imprint of a belt buckle, tread marks, a bite with teeth, etc.;

the force of the object;

the place of application of force, but not always, as for example, with fractures of the bones of the base of the skull, there may be movement of bruises in the area of ​​the eye sockets; when struck in the thigh area, the bruise moves to the popliteal fossa.

Wounds

Wounds - violation of the entire thickness of the skin and mucous membranes. (see the components of the wound, Fig. 3, page 24, tables and diagrams No. 1.) Wounds are formed as a result of impact, compression, crushing and friction. There are bruised, torn, crushed, scalped, patchwork, bitten, lacerated and bitten. Contusion wounds occur when a direct blow causes tissue to rupture. Crush wounds occur when there is a direct blow with a large amount of crushing. Flap - from an impact made at an angle to the surface of the body, followed by shifting and tearing off the skin in the form of a flap. Scalping wounds most often occur on the head when the skin is torn from the tendon helmet (skull stretching) over a long distance. Lacerations - when the skin is torn. Bite wounds are caused by human teeth. Laceration and bite wounds - from the action of animal teeth.

The most common are bruised wounds, which are often oblong in shape, the edges of the wound are uneven, roughened, bruised, the corners or ends of the wound are rounded (blunt), the depth of the wounds is varied (greater, equal, less than the length of the wound), there are connective tissue bridges in the area of ​​the edges and bottom of the wound , the presence of everted hair follicles in the walls, hemorrhage into the underlying tissue, bone fractures, external bleeding, wound healing is generally poor. After wounds heal, a scar always remains.

Wounds caused by a blunt hard object in the area of ​​the dorsal surface of the hands, respectively the sternum, ilium, on the front surface of the legs, in the area of ​​the cranial vault usually have smooth edges, sharp ends, a linear shape and often resemble damage from a sharp instrument - cut or chopped wound. The main feature that distinguishes a bruised wound from these wounds is the presence of connective tissue bridges in the area of ​​​​the edges of the wound, the hair follicles in the walls of the wounds are turned out and not cut, a bruised wound is less prone to gaping than a cut wound, since the area around the bruised wound is damaged tissues and lose their contractility.

The shape and size of bruised wounds often, to one degree or another, reflect the characteristics of the striking surface of blunt hard objects.

Forensic significance of wounds:

place of impact of the weapon,

mechanism,

the nature of the traumatic part of the weapon,

number of traumatic impacts,

direction of action of the weapon,

intravitality and postmortemity of the wound,

how long ago the injury was caused.

Damage- disruption of the structure and function of organs and tissues at any level: from ultrastructural to the whole organism as a result of the action of physical, chemical, biological and social (mental) environmental factors.

Damage can be uncombined and combined (from the action of two factors).

A blunt object is an object that causes damage with its area or edge.

Injuries from blunt objects are the most common.

The means by which damage can be caused are divided into weapons, instruments and objects.

Weapon- products intended for attack or defense. For example, handguns, finka, dagger, saber, brass knuckles, etc.

Guns - products intended for household or industrial purposes. For example, an axe, table knives, scissors, a hammer, a hoe, a shovel, etc.

Items- all other means that do not have a direct purpose, for example: stone, bottle fragment, brick, etc.

Among mechanical injuries, the impact of blunt hard objects is the most common. This type of injury can occur at home, at work, during transport accidents, in sports and military conditions. Damage can be caused by weapons, tools and objects. Blunt weapons include lead, brass knuckles, nunchucks, flails, etc. Blunt weapons include a hammer, rolling pin, iron, etc. Among the numerous blunt hard objects, damage is most often caused by parts of moving vehicles, various objects that have a certain impact surface area, as well as parts of the human body.

14.3. Mechanisms of formation from the action of blunt hard objects and classification of blunt hard objects

Blunt objects are objects that cause damage by acting mechanically only with their surface . Blunt objects are hard and soft . Violation of the anatomical structure of tissues occurs, as a rule, only when exposed to blunt hard objects . The main mechanisms of damage formation when exposed to blunt hard objects: impact, concussion, compression, stretching, friction.

Hard blunt objects can cause damage to soft tissues, joints, bones, and internal organs.

14.4. Types of mechanical damage from blunt hard objects

Damage to soft tissues - mucous membranes, skin, subcutaneous fat, muscles; damage to joints - ligamentous apparatus, joint capsule; damage to bones - periosteum, bones; internal organs, tears, ruptures, crushing, separation of internal organs. The larger the impact area of ​​the damaging object, the less pronounced the destruction at the point of impact. And the phenomena of body shaking, accompanied by ruptures of internal organs, come to the fore. As the area of ​​the impacting object decreases, more significant damage occurs at the point of impact, since the kinetic energy is concentrated in a small area. The impact is exerted only by the contact part of the object, which, in accordance with its characteristics, causes damage of one form or another. When blunt hard objects act on soft tissues, abrasions, bruises, wounds, and hemorrhages are formed.

14.4.1. Abrasions

Abrasions - superficial damage to the skin and mucous membranes due to the action of a blunt hard object at an acute angle, with simultaneous sliding and pressure. The action of a blunt solid object is based on impact, compression and friction. A linear abrasion is called a scratch; abrasion is when a significant area of ​​skin is occupied by an abrasion.

Abrasions vary in size, depth, and shape.

During the healing process, the abrasion goes through several stages: first, the abrasion is pinkish-red, shiny, and located below the skin level - on the 1st day, then a crust forms, which is located at the skin level, the crust begins to rise above the skin level on the 2-3rd day; epithelization occurs under the crust (healing process) - 4-6 days; and on days 7-9 the crust disappears. After the crust falls off, a purple area remains; by the end of the second week, the skin color becomes normal. After an abrasion heals, there is never a scar left, since an abrasion is a superficial injury.

Forensic significance of abrasions:

• based on the abrasion, we can talk about the mechanism of damage (abrasions occur from the action of a blunt hard object at an acute angle);
• duration of injury (based on healing of the abrasion);
• direction of action of the traumatic force (deeper abrasion at the beginning, in the end the abrasion is more superficial);
• place of application of force, abrasions are formed at the site of direct impact;
• by the shape of the abrasion one can sometimes talk about the nature of the surface of the object, for example, semilunar abrasions in the neck area are formed from the action of the free edge of the nails when crushed by hands, tread marks in the form of characteristic abrasions; sometimes you can talk specifically about an object if there are inclusions in the abrasion (particles of wood, brick, etc.);
• an abrasion was caused during life or after death; the post-mortem abrasion (parchment stain) is located below the level of intact skin and with a cross-shaped incision in the area of ​​the parchment stain there is no hemorrhage in the underlying tissues.

Bruising

Bruising are formed by the action of a blunt hard object at a right angle. The action of a blunt hard object is based on impact and compression. Bruises can be superficial, deep, and in size - petechiae, ecchymoses, hematomas.

In the first hours, the bruise is red-purple, red-blue, blue. On days 3-6, the bruise takes on a green tint, and on days 6-10 it turns yellow. Minor bruising disappears after two weeks.

Sometimes it is necessary to differentiate a bruise from a cadaveric spot in the imbibition stage. To distinguish a bruise from a cadaveric spot, it is necessary to make a cross-shaped incision at the site of the bruise; a patch of skin soaked in blood and occupying a limited area is visible.

Forensic significance of bruises:

• we can talk about the mechanism of damage (the action of a blunt solid object at a right angle);
• duration of injury based on change in bruise color;
• the nature of the surface of the object according to the shape of the bruise, for example, the imprint of a belt buckle, tread marks, a bite with teeth, etc.;
• the force of the object;
• the place of application of force, but not always, as for example, with fractures of the bones of the base of the skull, there may be movement of bruises in the area of ​​the eye sockets; when struck in the thigh area, the bruise moves to the popliteal fossa.

14.4.3. Wounds

Wounds - violation of the entire thickness of the skin and mucous membranes. (see the components of the wound, Fig. 3, page 24, tables and diagrams No. 1.) Wounds are formed as a result of impact, compression, crushing and friction. There are bruised, torn, crushed, scalped, patchwork, bitten, lacerated and bitten. Contusion wounds occur when a direct blow causes tissue to rupture. Crush wounds occur when there is a direct blow with a large amount of crushing. Flap - from an impact made at an angle to the surface of the body, followed by shifting and tearing off the skin in the form of a flap. Scalping wounds most often occur on the head when the skin is torn from the tendon helmet (skull stretching) over a long distance. Lacerations - when the skin is torn. Bite wounds are caused by human teeth. Laceration and bite wounds - from the action of animal teeth.

The most common are bruised wounds, which are often oblong in shape, the edges of the wound are uneven, roughened, bruised, the corners or ends of the wound are rounded (blunt), the depth of the wounds is varied (greater, equal, less than the length of the wound), there are connective tissue bridges in the area of ​​the edges and bottom of the wound , the presence of everted hair follicles in the walls, hemorrhage into the underlying tissue, bone fractures, external bleeding, wound healing is usually poor. After wounds heal, a scar always remains.

Wounds caused by a blunt hard object in the area of ​​the dorsal surface of the hands, respectively the sternum, ilium, on the anterior surface of the legs, in the area of ​​the cranial vault, as a rule, have smooth edges, sharp ends, a linear shape and often resemble damage from a sharp instrument - cut or chopped wound. The main feature that distinguishes a bruised wound from these wounds is the presence of connective tissue bridges in the area of ​​​​the edges of the wound, hair follicles in the walls of the wounds are turned out and not cut, a bruised wound is less prone to gaping than a cut one, since around the bruised wound tissues are damaged and lose their contractility.

The shape and size of bruised wounds often, to one degree or another, reflect the characteristics of the striking surface of blunt hard objects.

Forensic significance of wounds:

• place of impact of the weapon,
• mechanism,
• the nature of the traumatic part of the weapon,
• number of traumatic impacts,
• direction of action of the weapon,
• intravitality and postmortemity of the wound,
• how long ago the injury was caused.

Dislocations

Dislocations- displacement of normally contacting articular surfaces and most often occurs in the joints of the upper extremities, less often in the lower ones. This depends on the anatomical structure of the joint and the degree of mobility of the bones in it. Therefore, dislocations especially often occur in the most mobile shoulder and wrist joints.

The skin, as a rule, appears intact, and swelling indicates damage to surrounding tissues (rupture and stretching of the joint capsule, hemorrhage into the joint cavity).

The forensic medical significance of dislocations is that in some cases they make it possible to judge the nature and mechanism of damage. When forensically assessing dislocations, the possibility of habitual and congenital dislocations should be taken into account.

Fractures

Fractures- violation of the anatomical integrity of the bone. Depending on the degree of damage to bone tissue, there are complete and incomplete fractures. Fractures that occur during direct contact with a traumatic object are direct fractures and indirect fractures that arise from an indirect action, for example, during compression.

In the direction of the fracture line. According to the nature of the fracture, they are distinguished: linear, splintered, multi-splintered, perforated, terrace-shaped. According to communication with the external environment - open and closed.