Accidental Lethal Stab Wound Caused by a Broken Tree Trunk

KRAJSA, Jan, Miroslav HIRT, Michal ZELENÝ, Milan VOTAVA and Ľubomír STRAKA. Accidental Lethal Stab Wound Caused by a Broken Tree Trunk. ROMANIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL MEDICINE. BUCHAREST: ROMANIAN LEGAL MED SOC, 2023, vol. 31, No 1, p. 12-14. ISSN 1221-8618. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.4323/rjlm.2023.12.

Basic information

• Original name: Accidental Lethal Stab Wound Caused by a Broken Tree Trunk
• Authors: KRAJSA, Jan (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Miroslav HIRT (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Michal ZELENÝ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Milan VOTAVA (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Ľubomír STRAKA (703 Slovakia).
• Edition: ROMANIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL MEDICINE, BUCHAREST, ROMANIAN LEGAL MED SOC, 2023, 1221-8618.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 30501 Forensic science
• Country of publisher: Romania
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Impact factor: Impact factor: 0.400 in 2022
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14110/23:00133215
• Organization unit: Faculty of Medicine
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4323/rjlm.2023.12
• UT WoS: 001101163900003
• Keywords in English: stab wound; penetrated injury; brain injury; broken tree; high wind hazard
• Tags: 14110111, rivok
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

This paper describes a rare head injury caused by the upper part of a maple tree trunk that broke off in a forest on a gusty, windy day. The sharp end of the trunk landed vertically on a tent, pierced the tent immediately above a sleeping young man, and stabbed his head. The man's skull was punctured, and his brain was fatally damaged. No other injuries were found. Authors have not found any similar case of an absolutely fatal stab wound caused by a spontaneously falling broken tree trunk in the literature.