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Physical Abuse or Easy Bruising?

PHYSICAL SIGNS OF ABUSE When searching “physical signs of abuse,” many journals and websites list the following physical characteristics: Bruises Cuts Burns Restraint or grip markings Black eyes Unusual pattern of injury Repeated trips to the Emergency Department ….with “bruises” often listed first since most are caused by physical injury. However, there are underlying conditions Read More...

Traumatic Injuries: GBI/SBI

In regards to Great Bodily Injury or Significant Bodily injury: Many wounds from blunt force trauma by themselves would not qualify as permanently disabling or disfiguring. The severity of the wound oftentimes is not as readily obvious as it might seem. Many lacerations bleed heavily, especially those in the head, and are not necessarily even Read More...

Patterned Injuries from Trauma

Patterned Injuries: These are injuries in which the physical characteristics of the wound match the object that cause them. They can be present in all types of injuries:         This month’s criminal topic is Cuts and Bruises (Blunt Force Trauma). Topics covered are: Bruises and dating of them (10/3/14) Abrasions and Lacerations Read More...

Abrasions & Lacerations

An Abrasion is a scrape from friction between the skin and another surface. The surface does not necessarily need to be hard, but the softer it is, the more friction is needed. An example of hard surface abrasions are road rash from motor vehicle accidents, where the skin is dragged one direction across the pavement. Read More...

Bruises & Dating of Them

Contusion: This is a bruise and is caused by an impact with a hard object or pressure that causes the blood vessels under the skin to burst and blood to leak out into the cellular space. Typically appears as a range of colors in a localized area on the skin. Current literature states that bruises Read More...