Citation

Aggrawal A, Pradhan M, Sreenivas M. Med. Sci. Law 2014; 55(1): 40-43.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Maulana Azad Medical College, India.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, British Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0025802414524191

PMID

24561389

Abstract

Penetrating head injuries caused by unconventional objects such as a nail generate speculation and doubt regarding the manner of infliction. We report a case of a 24-year-old woman alleged to have committed suicide by a fall from height. Autopsy revealed an unprecedented penetrating intracranial injury caused by a nail over the right temporal region, confounding the manner of death. The underlying intersecting pattern of fractures determined the chronological sequence of events. In this paper, we discuss the manner, incidence and pathology of nail injuries to the brain.

Language: en