ACCIDENTAL LETHAL STAB WOUND CAUSED BY A BROKEN TREE TRUNK

J. Krajsa, M. Hirt, M. Zelený, M. Votava, ?. Straka,

Abstract: This paper describes a rare head injury caused by the upper part of a maple tree trunk that broke off in a forest on a gusty, windy day. The sharp end of the trunk landed vertically on a tent, pierced the tent immediately above a sleeping young man, and stabbed his head. The man’s skull was punctured, and his brain was fatally damaged. No other injuries were found. Authors have not found any similar case of an absolutely fatal stab wound caused by a spontaneously falling broken tree trunk in the literature.
Keywords: stab wound, penetrated injury, brain injury, broken tree, high wind hazard.