Model cannons causing lethal traumata.

ABSTRACT

Model cannons are usually considered to be harmless toys; therefore no legal regulations are required. Nevertheless, suicidal intentions or playful experimentation can turn this toy into a lethal weapon. This paper describes two cases of misuse of model cannons, leading to severe injuries and consequently death the first case was the result of a suicidal intention, where the cannon caused a bullet injury into the forehead with marked signs of close-firing and intensive brain damage. The second case was an accidental event, where the cannon induced an entry wound at the left chest wall with surrounding carbonization and a fatal rupture of the heart. Circumstances of the lethal situations and mechanisms of the cannons leading to fatal injuries including ballistic considerations are described. The report is supported by a thorough literature research.