title: [Aiming at the chest, but hitting the back].
abstract: Gunshot injuries in the back may suggest the unjustified use of firearms. A wound in the back inflicted by a firearm should not automatically imply that the shooter aimed at the back. A previous study demonstrated that it is possible for men to turn their trunk faster than it takes for a shooter to fire or throw a hand-operated weapon. With a high speed motion camera the authors were able to demonstrate that it is also possible for women to turn their trunk fast enough, so that a shot in the back could have been aimed at the front of the body. This conclusion is also likely to apply to hand-operated or thrown weapons, since the velocity of their projectiles is considerably lower than that of firearms.
authors: Institut für Rechtsmedizin der Universität Bern.
authors: Wolf-Dieter
authors: WD
authors: Zech
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Axmann
authors: Lea
authors: L
authors: Siegenthaler
authors: Beat
authors: B
authors: Kneubühl
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Thali
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000328:Adult; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000503:physiopathology*