Knife wounds: Directionality/Blade Width

Directionality and blade width may also be determined in a penetrating knife wound.  If a hilt mark is present then directionality can be determined easily, but not all penetrating knife wounds have a hilt mark.  To determine directionality, the wound itself can provide that information with careful examination. Manipulating the wound by approximating (pushing together) [&hellip Read More...

Knife wounds: Patterns

A knife wound can have a distinct patterns, especially if the wound is a penetrating wound or puncture.  In a sharp force penetrating injury caused by a knife, what can be learned from the wound is directionality, force, blade width, and depth.  Knives have a handle, and at the end of that handle is what [&hellip Read More...

Knife wounds: Characteristics

Injuries from sharp force trauma, whether it is a knife wound or other sharp object, have specific characteristics that vary based on the motion associated with the wound.  Typically, the sharp force wound from a slashing motion is longer than it is deep and does not leave any “bridging” tissue in the wound. Conversely, a wound [&hellip Read More...

Traumatic Injury Categories

Traumatic injuries can be caused by either blunt force trauma or sharp force trauma. Sharp force trauma is a broad category that covers a large group of objects that could cause these injuries. Objects such as a knife, a razor blade, a broken bottle, or even the metal lid of a can of dog food [&hellip Read More...