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PubMed2005

A singular case of murder-suicide committed with a homemade firearm.

The authors illustrate a peculiar case of murder-suicide committed with a homemade firearm loaded with 12-gauge cartridges (buckshot). The structure and function of this handcrafted firearm were simple but effective: an iron tube did duty as a barrel in this primitive firearm. The cartridges (modified by winding sticky tape around the external surface of the base) were inserted down one end of the tube (serving as the breech). A second iron tube with a larger diameter (so as to be able to run over each of the preloaded barrels) and with a jutting, cone-shaped metal wedge soldered to the base, was used as a rudimental firing pin. After loading the "barrel" with the modified cartridge, the gunman would ram the "firing pin" tube violently down to fire the shot. Autopsy of the woman's body showed the presence of 3 gunshot wounds caused by buckshot, while the man had a single buckshot wound in the head. Subsequent ballistic investigations enabled reconstruction of the event (typical of murder-suicide) and the functioning of the firearm, demonstrating its lethal nature, remarkably easy handling, and simplicity of production.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed2005

Computational and experimental models of the human torso for non-penetrating ballistic impact.

Both computational finite element and experimental models of the human torso have been developed for ballistic impact testing. The human torso finite element model (HTFEM), including the thoracic skeletal structure and organs, was created in the finite element code LS-DYNA. The skeletal structure was assumed to be linear-elastic while all internal organs were modeled as viscoelastic. A physical human surrogate torso model (HSTM) was developed using biosimulant materials and the same anthropometry as the HTFEM. The HSTM response to impact was recorded with piezoresistive pressure sensors molded into the heart, liver and stomach and an accelerometer attached to the sternum. For experimentation, the HSTM was outfitted with National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Level I, IIa, II and IIIa soft armor vests. Twenty-six ballistic tests targeting the HSTM heart and liver were conducted with 22 caliber ammunition at a velocity of 329 m/s and 9 mm ammunition at velocities of 332, 358 and 430 m/s. The HSTM pressure response repeatability was found to vary by less than 10% for similar impact conditions. A comparison of the HSTM and HTFEM response showed similar pressure profiles and less than 35% peak pressure difference for organs near the ballistic impact point. Furthermore, the peak sternum accelerations of the HSTM and HTFEM varied by less than 10% for impacts over the sternum. These models provide comparative tools for determining the thoracic response to ballistic impact and could be used to evaluate soft body armor design and efficacy, determine thoracic injury mechanisms and assist with injury prevention.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1994

Development of a clinical forensic medicine curriculum for emergency physicians in the USA.

To address the forensic needs of living patients, the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky, USA initiated the first clinical forensic medicine training programme in the USA. In July 1991, formal training in clinical forensic medicine was incorporated into the core curriculum of the USA's second oldest academic emergency medicine training programme. The University of Louisville, in cooperation with the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office, developed the curriculum to provide the emergency physician with the knowledge base and technical skills to perform forensic evaluations of living patients. Forensic lectures are given monthly by local and regional forensic experts including: forensic pathologists, prosecuting attorneys, firearm and ballistics examiners, law enforcement officers, forensic chemists and forensic odontologists. Topics which are presented include: forensic pathology, forensic photography, ballistics and firearms analysis, paediatric physical and sexual assault, crime scene investigation, forensic odontology, courtroom and expert testimony and the forensic evaluation of penetrating trauma. As a result of the introduction of clinical forensic medicine into the core curriculum of an emergency medicine training programme the residents are now actively addressing the forensic issues encountered in the Emergency department. Key, often short-lived forensic evidence, which was frequently overlooked or discarded while delivering patient care is now recognized, documented and preserved. The development and introduction of a clinical forensic medicine curriculum into emergency medicine training has greatly enhanced the emergency physician's ability to recognize, document and address the forensic needs of their patients who are victims of violent and non-fatal trauma.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Design and injury assessment criteria for blunt ballistic impacts.

BACKGROUND: Less-lethal technologies are used in situations where lethal force is not warranted; however, a variety of injuries have been reported. Design and injury criteria are needed to assess the safety of these munitions. METHODS: Injury data from ballistic impacts of cadavers were analyzed to validate design and injury criteria. Logistic regression analysis determined the predictive ability of the blunt criterion (BC) for munition design and the viscous criterion (VC) for injury risk assessment. Differences in risk for men and women were determined. RESULTS: For a 50% risk of Abbreviated Injury Scale 2 or 3 thoracic injury, BC = 0.37 (chi = 17.71, p = 0.001) and VCmax = 0.8 m/s (chi = 11.28, p = 0.001). The 5th percentile female subject has a 36% lower tolerance to ballistic energy than the 50the percentile male subject. CONCLUSION: The BC can be used in the development of kinetic energy munitions and the VC for testing impact injury risk. These criteria provide much needed tools for the development and progression of less-lethal munitions.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Ballistics projectile image analysis for firearm identification.

This paper is based upon the observation that, when a bullet is fired, it creates characteristic markings on the cartridge case and projectile. From these markings, over 30 different features can be distinguished, which, in combination, produce a "fingerprint" for a firearm. By analyzing features within such a set of firearm fingerprints, it will be possible to identify not only the type and model of a firearm, but also each and every individual weapon just as effectively as human fingerprint identification. A new analytic system based on the fast Fourier transform for identifying projectile specimens by the line-scan imaging technique is proposed in this paper. This paper develops optical, photonic, and mechanical techniques to map the topography of the surfaces of forensic projectiles for the purpose of identification. Experiments discussed in this paper are performed on images acquired from 16 various weapons. Experimental results show that the proposed system can be used for firearm identification efficiently and precisely through digitizing and analyzing the fired projectiles specimens.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

Ballistics: a primer for the surgeon.

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on ballistics and to sort through the plethora of myth and popular opinion. The trauma surgeon is increasingly faced with gunshot wounds. Knowledge of ballistics is important to help in assessing the patterns of wounds that are seen. There are many factors that affect the flight of a bullet to its target. Many of these factors also affect the behaviour of the bullet after it strikes the target. It is primarily these factors that interest the surgeon.

Firearms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Traumatic potential of colour marking cartridges (FX ammunition)].

Colour marking cartridges as the FX ammunition (Simunition Europe, Brussels) are increasingly used by the police for realistic close range combat training. Conversion kits for service weapons of different manufacturers are available. The ballistic data of this ammunition is reported and experimentally verified. The risk of injury seems to be very low, if the recommended protective equipment is used. Small hematomas up to superficial lacerations are to be expected only in areas over a bony support. Shots to the unprotected eye will result in severe injuries.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2005

[German education for treatment of penetrating gut traumata in army service].

On military missions abroad, surgical care for penetrating abdominal injuries differentiates from that given at home. The different conditions in the field usually include a single general surgeon with no further specialists or hospitals to rely upon. Thus a mismatch between treatment capacity and needs can be experienced in mass casualty situations. Therefore the focus is on damage control surgery, getting patients fit for evacuation, and transport home under intensive care if needed. Knowledge of ballistics and explosive devices are adjunct fields of interest, as they improve the understanding and treatment of military injuries. Although these aspects add up to additional training requirements to be met by our surgeons, we are convinced that the new German education standards will allow successful training of future military surgeons.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed2006

[Fundamental biological model for trials of wound ballistics].

The aim of our experiment was the testing of effects of common ammunition on usable and slightly accessible biological tissue thereby to create fundamental simple biological model for trials of wounded ballistic. Like objective tissue was elected biological material - pork and beef hind-limbs, pork head, pork bodily cavity. It was discovered that objective tissue is able to react to singles types of shots in all spectrum results namely simple smooth penetration wound as well as splintery fracture in dependence on kind of using ammunition. Pork hind-limb was evaluated like the most suitable biological material for given object.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Dynamic effects of a 9 mm missile on cadaveric skull protected by aramid, polyethylene or aluminum plate: an experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Most military helmets are designed to prevent penetration by small firearms using composite materials in their construction. However, the transient deformation of the composite helmet during a non penetrating impact may result in severe head injury. METHOD: Two experimental designs were undertaken to characterize the extend of injuries imparted by composite panels using in protective helmets. In the first series, 21 dry skulls were protected by polyethylene plates, with gaps between the protective plate and skull ranging from 12 to 15 mm. In another design, using 9 cadavers, heads were protected by aluminum, aramid, or polyethylene plates. Specimens were instrumented with pressure gauges to record the impact response. The ammunition used in these experiments was 9 mm caliber and had a velocity of 400 m/s. A macroscopic analysis of the specimens quantified fractures and injuries, which were then related to the measured pressures. RESULTS: Protective plates influenced both the levels of injury and the intracranial pressure. Injuries were accentuated as the plates was changed from aluminum to composite materials and ranged from skin laceration to extensive skull fractures and brain contusion. Fractures were associated with brain parenchymal pressures in excess of 560 kPa and cerebrospinal fluid pressure of 150 kPa. An air gap of a few millimeters between the plate and the head was sufficient to decrease these internal pressures by half, significantly reducing the level of injury. CONCLUSIONS: Ballistic helmets made of composite materials could be optimized to avoid extensive transient deformation and thus reduce the impact and blunt trauma to the head. However, this deformation cannot be completely removed, which is why the gap between the helmet and the head must be maintained at more than 12 mm.

Acceleration↗
PubMed2006

Modeling leaf dispersal in mixed hardwood forests using a ballistic approach.

In mixed-species stands, modeling leaf litter dispersal is important to predict the physical and chemical characteristics of the forest floor, which plays a major role in nutrient cycling and in plant population dynamics. In this study, a spatially explicit model of leaf litterfall was developed and compared with two other models. These three models were calibrated for a mixed forest of oak and beech using litterfall data from mapped forest plots. All models assumed that an allometric equation described individual leaf litter production, but they strongly differed in the modeling of the probability density of leaf shedding with distance from source trees. Two models used a negative exponential function to account for leaf dispersal with distance, and this function was allowed to vary according to wind direction in one of them. In contrast, our approach was based on a simple ballistic equation considering release height, wind speed, wind direction, and leaf fall velocity; the distributions of wind speeds and wind directions were modeled according to a Weibull and a Von Mises distribution, respectively. Using an independent validation data set, all three models provided predictions well correlated to measurements (r > 0.83); however, the two models with a direction-dependent component were slightly more accurate. In addition, parameter estimates of the ballistic model were in close agreement with a foliar litter production equation derived from the literature for beech and with wind characteristics measured during leaf litterfall for both species. Because of its mechanistic background, such a spatially explicit model might be incorporated as a litterfall module in larger models (nutrient cycling, plant population dynamics) or used to determine the manner in which patch size in mixed-species stands influences litter mixture.

Biodiversity↗
PubMed2004

A neuroforensic analysis of the wounds of President John F. Kennedy: Part 2--A study of the available evidence, eyewitness correlations, analysis, and conclusions.

A substantial body of literature exists surrounding the assassination and subsequent pathological examination of President John F. Kennedy. In the first part of this series, we provided a previously undocumented eyewitness account by a neurosurgeon of what transpired in Trauma Room 1 of Parkland Memorial Hospital on November 22, 1963. The current article reviews the copious literature and extensive controversy regarding President Kennedy's wounds. The autopsy report, ballistics data, official reviews of the autopsy data, and Dr. Grossman's observations are correlated in an effort to provide a neuroforensic analysis of the nature of the wounds that President Kennedy sustained. The final article of the series will relate the wounds to the timing of the shots and the location of the President as his limousine traversed Dealey Plaza and will discuss the sites from which the bullets could have been fired.

Autopsy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A different approach to missile induced head injuries.

Missile induced head injuries can be influenced by the anatomical location of the injury, i.e. type of tissue and by the ballistic properties such as the design of the weapon and the mass, shape and construction of the projectile, as well as its velocity characteristics and trajectory angle. In the diagnostic work up of the patients with missile induced head injuries, every available modality can be used. It is important, however, to recognize that CT scan is the primary and most efficacious diagnostic tool in such patients. In this article we have identified risk factors for both morbidity and mortality in patients with missile induced head injury with excluding the patients who had also extracranial serious trauma and systemic disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Studies on salts of 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) and 2,4,6-trinitroanilino benzoic acid (TABA): potential energetic ballistic modifiers.

The Co/Cu/Ni/Fe salts of 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) and 2,4,6-trinitroanilino benzoic acid (TABA) were prepared and characterized during this work. All the salts exhibited exothermic decomposition in DSC. The FT-IR spectra of the gaseous products evolved during TGA of NTO salts indicated the release of NO2 and cleavage of NTO ring during the course of decomposition. Thermal decomposition of TABA salts also produced NO2 on decomposition. The transition metal salts enhanced the burning rates of AP-HTPB composite propellant evaluated during this work. The best catalytic effect was obtained with Fe-NTO salt which increased the burning rate to the extent of approximately 80% as well as brought down the pressure index (n) to 0.18 (2-9MPa).

Aniline Compounds↗
PubMed2004

Ballistics for physicians: myths about wound ballistics and gunshot injuries.

PURPOSE: Wound ballistics is a difficult subject. The behavior of all bullets is unpredictable but the specific effect of high velocity projectiles has been a particular source of confusion in the literature. This confusion has resulted in the likely incorrect conclusion that all high velocity wounds require massive débridement. We reviewed the entirety of the literature on this subject and concluded that high velocity weapons do not reliably create massive wounds, and judicious débridement and staged explorations may be the best treatment method for these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A MEDLINE search and retrieval were done of all pertinent references from 1966 to May 2003 concerning the field of wound ballistics. Articles initially missed in this search were obtained from the bibliography of retrieved studies. More than 70 articles and book chapters were reviewed. RESULTS: Five common myths about the tissue effects of gunshot wounds were reviewed as well as the data that dispel these myths. Information on the effects of different bullet types, and the intended and actual effect of military rifle wounds were assessed. CONCLUSIONS: For the majority of high velocity gunshot wounds, especially military rifles that generally fire a projectile that is meant to stay intact after impact, wound severity can be limited, even much less than that from a civilian rifle, shotgun or handgun. Judicious use of débridement during surgical exploration limits the extent of iatrogenic injury in the surgical care of these patients.

Forensic Ballistics↗
PubMed2007

The role of computed tomography in terminal ballistic analysis.

Terminal ballistics concerns the science of projectile behaviour within a target and includes wound ballistics that considers what happens when a projectile strikes a living being. A number of soft tissue ballistic simulants have been used to assess the damage to tissue caused by projectiles. Standard assessment of these materials, such as ballistic soap or ordnance gelatine, requires the block to be opened or that a mould to be made to visualize the wound track. This is time consuming and may affect the accuracy of the findings especially if the block dries and alters shape during the process. Therefore, accurate numerical analysis of the permanent or temporary cavity is limited. Computed tomography (CT) potentially offers a quicker non-invasive analysis tool for this task. Four commercially purchased ballistic glycerine soap blocks were used. Each had a single firearm discharged into it from a distance of approximately 15 cm using both gunshot and shotgun projectiles. After discharge, each block was imaged by a modern 16 slice multi-detector CT scanner and analysed using 3-D reconstruction software. Using the anterior-posterior and lateral scout views and the multi-plane reconstructed images, it was possible to visualize the temporary cavity, as well as the fragmentation and dispersal pattern of the projectiles, the distance travelled and angle of dispersal within the block of each projectile or fragment. A virtual cast of the temporary cavity can be also be made. Multi-detector CT with 3-D analysis software is shown to create a reliable permanent record of the projectile path allowing rapid analysis of different firearms and projectiles.

Forensic Ballistics↗
PubMed2005

Modeling the effect of non-penetrating ballistic impact as a means of detecting behind armor blunt trauma.

BACKGROUND: According to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Standard 0101.04, the maximum deformation a soft armor vest can undergo without penetration is 44 mm. However, this does not take into account the effect of the pressure wave or energy transferred to the organs within the torso due to behind armor blunt trauma (BABT). Therefore, a study was undertaken to develop a finite element model (FEM) to study these effects. METHODS: A finite element model (FEM) of the human thorax; complete with musculoskeletal structure and internal organs (heart, liver, lungs and stomach), intercostal muscle and skin, has been developed in LS-DYNA. A Kevlar vest was modeled on the chest to simulate non-penetrating ballistic impact. RESULTS: Using a projectile modeled with a size and mass equivalent to a 9 mm (124 grain) bullet at 360 and 425 m/s, four impacts were simulated against NIJ Level II and Level IIIa Kevlar vests at the midsternum and right thorax. At the same velocity, the pressures decreased by a factor of 3 and the energy absorbed by the organs decreased by a factor of 6 for the NIJ Level II and Level IIIa vests, respectively. As the projectile velocity increased, the peak pressures increased by a factor of 3 while the energy absorbed by the organs increased by a factor of 4. CONCLUSIONS: The resulting pressure profiles and kinetic energy exhibited by the respective organs indicate this model may be useful in identifying mechanisms of injury as well as organs at an elevated injury risk as a result of BABT.

Biophysical Phenomena↗
PubMed2004

Ballistic study of the SAPL GC27 gun: is it really "nonlethal"?

To evaluate the potential dangers of the "nonlethal" 12-gauge single-shot handgun SAPL GC27 with Fun-Tir (FT) and mini-Gomm-Cogne (mGC) ammunition, a ballistic study was performed with both types of ammunition. Nine unembalmed human corpses covered with a cloth sheet were shot through the right and left pectoral regions. With the mGC ammunition, rib fractures were observed when the firing range was less than 2 meters, skin perforation when the range was less than 1.5 meters, with lung injuries at less than 0.2 meter; the heart and the aorta were lacerated at contact range (0 meter). No skin perforation was observed with the FT ammunition, but rib fractures were observed when it was fired at up to 2 meters. Our study shows that the mGC ammunition, shot by the CG27 firearm, can be lethal at contact range and that pellets penetrate the skin at ranges of less than 1 meter. These results led us to conclude that this weapon is too dangerous to be marketed as a "nonlethal" weapon. The term "reduced wounding power weapon" is preferable.

Firearms↗