title: Fatal laryngeal oedema in an adult from an air rifle injury, and related ballistics.
abstract: Air guns (air pistols and rifles) are already recognized as being potentially lethal. The diabolo pellet has a calibre of .177 (4.5 mm), a 1250 fps velocity, is high energetic, and is most commonly used in such weapons. In the presented case, the victim sustained an air rifle injury to the neck. The pellet passed through the thyroid cartilage, subsequently causing the extensive laryngeal swelling with haematoma around the pellet channel which fatally obstructed the airway. It is estimated microscopically that at least a number of hours must have passed from the injury to the time of death. For this case, a shooting distance was estimated by using experimental shooting values compared to physics formulas for accelerated motion. The case under question has confirmed an applicable legal approach that can be utilized by countries to classify air rifles as being as harmful as other firearms, especially those with high muzzle velocities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica Montenegro com_nr@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nemanja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Radojevic
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica Montenegro.
authors.forename: Dragana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cukic
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica Montenegro.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Curovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica Montenegro.
authors.forename: Mileta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Golubovic
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D005389:Firearms; D044709:Forensic Ballistics; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D007819:Laryngeal Edema / Q000473:pathology*; D007830:Larynx / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: air gun; asphyxia; ballistics; diabolo; laryngeal obstruction; pellet