Injuring potential of drinking glasses.
At a party of a sports club, an argument started between two groups of young men, in the course of which one of the persons involved threw a beer glass hitting a young man of the other group, who collapsed with a profusely bleeding wound. Although resuscitation measures were initiated immediately, the victim died at the scene due to exsanguination from the completely severed left external carotid artery in combination with the aspiration of blood. Tests with drinking glasses thrown at a skull-neck model suggested that an undamaged beer glass thrown at the head of the victim could not cause the fatal injuries on the neck because of its splintering behaviour. In fact, it seemed that the beer glass had been damaged prior to throwing it and that its sharp edges perforated the skin on hitting the neck.
Institute of Legal Medicine, Albert Ludwig University Freiburg Albertstrasse 9, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
Vera
V
Sterzik
Beat P
BP
Kneubuehl
Dirk
D
Ropohl
Michael
M
Bohnert
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001628:Beverages; D020212:Carotid Artery Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002342:Carotid Artery, External; D004825:Epiglottis / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D005898:Glass; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D010614:Pharynx / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D014754:Violence; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*