Physical Injury Legal Medicine

I-3 I-1
Capulong, MD
Dr. Capulong
November 11, 2011 jei

Classification of Physical Injuries o Fracture -

1. Depth  Closed/Simple
 Superficial  Open/Compound
 Deep  Comminuted
o Penetrating  Linear
o Perforating  Spiral
2. Severity  Greenstick
 Deadly/Mortal 2. Open Wounds
 Non-deadly/Non-mortal  Abrasion
3. Instruments used/Cause o caused by friction against a hard or
 Sharp instruments rough surface
 Blunt instruments o usually involves the superficial
 Tearing force layer of the skin
 Change in atmospheric pressure o consists of parallel linear injuries
 Heat or cold  Incised Wound
o produced by a sharp-edged
 Explosion
instrument
4. Consequential Injury
 Knife
 Coup
 Razor
 Contre coup  Bolo
 Coup contre coup  Edge of metal sheet
 Locus minoris resistencia  Glass
 Extensive Injury  Stab Wound
5. Integrity of skin o produced by the penetration of a
6. Legal sharp-pointed instrument
 Knife
Special Types of Wounds  Saber
1. Defense Wounds  Dagger
2. Patterned Wounds – nature and shape of the instrument  Scissors
used to inflict the injury  Lacerated Wound
3. Self-Inflicted Wounds o usually caused by forcible contact of
the skin with a blunt instrument
MEDICAL CLASSIFICATION OF WOUNDS
1. Closed wounds/Injury –
 Contusion – extravasation of blood into the
tissues underneath the skin
because of rupture of the blood
vessels
o Initially red or purple
o 4-5 days turns green
o 7 – 10 days turns yellow
o 14-15th day disappears

 Hematoma - is a collection of blood in a newly

formed cavity underneath the skin.

 Musculo-skeletal Injuries –
o Sprain – Disruption in the continuity of a
muscular or ligamentous support
of a joint.
o Dislocation – Displacement of the
articular surface of bones
entering into the formation of a
joint
1 of 4 | P a g e
Legal Classification of Physical Injuries: Revised Penal Code
PHYSICAL INJURIES
Art. 263. Serious physical injuries. —Any person
who shall wound, beat, or assault another:
Title 8, Chapter 1 - DESTRUCTION OF LIFE
Art. 246. Parricide. — Any person who shall kill his father, mother,
or child, whether legitimate or illegitimate, or any of his ascendants,
or descendants, or his spouse, shall be guilty of parricide and shall
be punished by the penalty of reclusion perpetua to death.

Art. 248. Murder. — Any person who . . . shall kill another, . . . if

1. The penalty of prision mayor, if in consequence of the
committed with any of the following attendant circumstances:
physical injuries inflicted, the injured person shall become
1. With treachery, taking advantage of superior strength, with
insane, imbecile, impotent, or blind;
the aid of armed men, or employing means to weaken the
defense or of means or persons to insure or afford
2. The penalty of prision correccional in its medium and
impunity.
maximum periods,
2. In consideration of a price, reward, or promise.
 lost the use of speech
3. By means of inundation, fire, poison, explosion,
 the power to hear or to smell
shipwreck, stranding of a vessel, derailment or assault
 lost an eye, a hand, a foot, an arm, or a leg or
upon a street car or locomotive, fall of an airship, by
lost the use of said member
means of motor vehicles, or with the use of any other
 incapacitated for the work in which he was
means involving great waste and ruin.
habitually engaged
4. On occasion of any of the calamities enumerated in the
preceding paragraph, or of an earthquake, eruption of a
3. The penalty of prision correccional in its minimum and
volcano, destructive cyclone, epidemic or other public
medium periods
calamity.
 the person injured becomes deformed
5. With evident premeditation.
 lose any other part of his body or lose the use
6. With cruelty, by deliberately and inhumanly augmenting
thereof
the suffering of the victim, or outraging or scoffing at his
 become ill or incapacitated for the performance
person or corpse.
of the work in which he as habitually
engaged >90 days
GUNSHOT WOUNDS
4. The penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period to
prision correccional in its minimum period, if the physical FIREARMS
injuries inflicted shall have caused the illness or incapacity  Hand weapon, hand guns or rifles, used for the propulsion
for labor of the injured person for >30 days. of a projectile
 Includes rifles, muskets, shotguns, revolvers, pistols, etc
Art. 265. Less serious physical injuries. - Any person from which a bullet, ball, shot, shell or other missile may
who shall inflict upon another physical injuries be discharged by means of gunpowder.
which shall incapacitate the offended party for labor
Types of Firearms –
for 10 days or more, or shall require medical  Hand guns –
assistance for the same period.
o Revolver
Art. 266. Slight physical injuries and maltreatment.
— The crime of slight physical injuries shall be
punished:
o Semi-automatic pistol
1. By arresto menor when the offender has inflicted physical
injuries which shall incapacitate the offended party for
labor from 1 to 9 days, or shall require medical attendance
during the same period.  Rifles
2. By arresto menor or a fine and censure when the offender o With longer barrels, spirally grooved
has caused physical injuries which do not prevent the o May be single shot
offended party from engaging in his habitual work nor o Military rifles – semi-automatic or automatic
require medical assistance.

3. By arresto menor in its minimum period or a fine when the

offender shall ill-treat another by deed without causing any
injury.

2 of 4| P a g e
  Shotgun Short Range Fire (1-15 cm.) Gunshot Wound
o usually sporting guns with long smooth bore barrels 1. Entrance wound inverted
o effective within a range of 30 to 50 meters 2. There may be area of burning (3-6 inches)
o fires large numbers of small spherical lead shot 3. Smudging is present
4. Powder tattooing present
5. Abrasion ring present

Medium Range Fire (15-60 cm.) Gunshot Wound –

1. Entrance wound inverted
2. Smudging may be present (<30 cm)
Identification of Firearms – 3. Powder tattooing of lesser density
1. Serial Number 4. Burning effect absent
2. Manufacturer 5. Contact ring present
3. Caliber – the diameter of the barrel between two lands, in
inches. Long Range Fire (>60 cm.) Gunshot Wound –
4. Fingerprints 1. Entrance wound circular or oval
5. Fouling of the Barrel 2. No burning, smudging or tatttooing
3. Contact ring present
Cartridge – Complete unfired unit consisting of the bullet, primer,
cartridge case and gunpowder Exit Wound - slit-like exit wound. No powder or
soot.Could be mixed up with a stab wound.

ELECTRICAL INJURIES

Lightning Injuries
 one of the most frequent injuries caused by natural
phenomenon
 mortality 20-30%

 Ballistics – science dealing with the trajectories of projectiles, THERMAL INJURIES

firing characteristics of firearms, bullets & cartridges, usually for
identification.
Injury due to Cold
 Forensic Ballistics – science of firearm identification. o Degree of damage depends upon
 Severity
 Medical Ballistics - studies the penetration/effects of the  Duration of exposure
missile or bullet to the human body, with emphasis on the  Area of body involved
appearance and severity of wounds.  Sex
 Humidity
Firm Contact Fire Gunshot Wound o Death may result
o Effects may be local or systemic
1. Entrance wound large, star-shaped when bone is located
superficially Injury due to Heat
2. Edges are everted o Effects may be local or systemic
3. Smudging, burning & tattooing prominent o Local – Scalds and burns
4. Muzzle imprint present o Systemic –
5. Singeing of the hair  Heat cramps
6. Blood & tissue are pink due to carbon monoxide  Heat exhaustion
 Heat Stroke
 Close Contact Gunshot Wound - illustrating a patterned o Burns
abrasion around the wound in the shape of the gun muzzle.  Thermal
 Thermal Burns – due to dry
heat
 May be due to fire, radiant
Close Contact/Near Fire Gunshot Wound heat, friction, solid
substances and electricity
1. Entrance wound round or oval  Usually accidental
2. Abrasion Collar distinct  Singeing of hair present
3. Smudging, burning & tattooing prominent
4. Muzzle imprint may be present
5. Blackening of bullet tract
6. Carboxyhemoglobin present
3 of 4| P a g e
  Chemical
 May be due to strong
acids or alkali
 Blisters are not present
 Staining of skin and
clothing
 Borders are distinct
 Usually accidental

 Electrical & lightning

 Factors affecting injury and
outcome
o Amperage
o Voltage
o Type of current (AC vs
DC)
o Duration of contact
o Tissue resistance 3. Suffocation – Exclusion of air from the lungs by closure
o Pathway of current of air openings or obstruction of the air passageway from
the external openings to the air sacs.
 Radiation a. Smothering – caused by closing of the
Radiation Burns – external respiratory orifices.
b. Choking – caused by the impaction of foreign
 May be due to x-ray,
body in the respiratory passages.
ultraviolet light or
- vomitus, bolus of food, false teeth,
radioactive substances
blood
 Injury ranges from
4. Drowning or submersion – nostrils and mouth are
reddening of the skin to
submerged in any watery, viscid fluid, preventing the free
blister formation to
entrance of air into the air passage and lungs.
atrophy of superficial
tissue
5. Pressure on the chest – free exchange of air in the lung
 Ultraviolet light causes is prevented by the immobility of the chest and abdomen
severe & persistent due to external pressure or crush injury.
dermatitis
6. Irrespirable gases – Carbon monoxide poisoning
ASPHYXIA
 General term applied to all forms of violent death resulting
from interference with respiration.

Classification of Asphyxia

1. Hanging – brought about by the suspension of the body

by a ligature which encircles the neck and the constricting
force is the weight of the body.
2. Strangulation – compression of the neck by means of a
ligature which is tightened by a force other than the weight
of the body.
A great big head? ; A large white moth? ; A vegetable that's green?
If you like your Physics and you like your Chemistry,
You will find this puzzle, as easy as can be.
Firstly, from a glass of milk, take what is good for bones.
Second take the metal used to glaze pottery with pretty tones.
Thirdly you might eat me to get your innards on a slide;
Last I am a diode in a "crystal-set" just look inside.
Now put us all together, and thus what can be seen?
What am I?

4 of 4| P a g e