Penetration of a piece of World War II rifle grenade initially suspected as a stab wound

Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2002 Sep;23(3):277-80. doi: 10.1097/00000433-200209000-00015.

Abstract

The authors report the case of a 58-year-old man found dead by his son in the forest where he had gone to cut wood for winter. Initial examination showed an upper left laterocervical wound compatible with a stab wound. Radiography and autopsy performed the next day showed a piece of metal located in the left part of the occipital bone, associated with a half-ring fracture of the occipital bone and consequent diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage. Death was attributed to a spinal shock after impact at the cervicocephalic junction. Investigators returned to the scene and found a few more metal elements and also a 20-cm deep and 40-cm wide crater underneath a fire the deceased had set. Army experts concluded that the metal pieces belonged to an ATM 9 antitank rifle grenade used by the U.S. Army during World War II. Death was considered accidental, the deceased having unfortunately set a fire over the grenade.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Accidents*
  • Autopsy
  • Blast Injuries / diagnosis
  • Blast Injuries / etiology*
  • Blast Injuries / pathology
  • Cause of Death
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Explosions*
  • Firearms
  • Foreign Bodies / etiology*
  • Forensic Medicine
  • Head Injuries, Penetrating / etiology*
  • Head Injuries, Penetrating / pathology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Metals
  • Middle Aged
  • Warfare
  • Wounds, Stab / diagnosis

Substances

  • Metals