Ice pick death: a case report and discussion of the injury pattern.

Death due to ice pick injury rarely reported in forensic literature. We report death of a 16-year old male, who was allegedly assaulted on chest, back and thigh by his school-mate, with an ice pick. The accused had got the ice pick from his father's ice shop to attack the victim. The multiple stabs to the chest region had perforated the lung and penetrated the heart chambers. The victim succumbed to death on the way to hospital and medico-legal autopsy was conducted. The injuries inflicted by the ice pick are highlighted and its pattern is discussed in this article, owing to the peculiar nature of the wounds produced by the ice-pick.