Chattopadhyay Saurabh
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Gangtok, India.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2008 Dec;29(4):334-6. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e3181847de7.
Missile injuries on the head are mostly due to firearms. Atypical missiles may be encountered in case of shrapnel of bomb explosions but rarely because of stones. The present case is a rare case where a stone propelled by the pressure from the rear wheel of a speeding truck on the highway, struck the head of a 7-year-old girl resulting in fatality. Reconstruction of the incident on the basis of history and postmortem findings throws some light on the mechanism. The case is unique as it is the first reported case of an accidental missile injury to the head resulting in fatality without any direct human involvement for propulsion of the projectile.
