Medico-Legal Update
  • Year: 2013
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue: 2

An Unusual Internal Ricocheting of Bullet in a Case of Firearm Injury Over Chest without Significant Damage to Vital Structures: A Case Report

  • Author:
  • Ravindra Baliram Deokar, Sachin Sudarshan Patil, Kshitija Rajiv Patil
  • Total Page Count: 4
  • Page Number: 109 to 112

Department of Forensic Medicine, Seth G S Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai

*Corresponding author: Ravindra Baliram Deokar, Assistant Professor & Medicolegal In-charge, Department of Forensic Medicine, Seth G S Medical College and KEM Hospital, Acharya Donde Marg, Parel, Mumbai, Email id: ravideo80@gmail.com, sachinpatilmdfm@gmail.com, Contact No. 09869741117, 09757179483

Online published on 7 August, 2013.

Abstract

Usually a penetrating firearm injury to the chest wall turns out to be fatal as it tends to damage the vital organs or great vessels. However a medicolegal case was brought in front of us where a patient's vital organs were not damaged as he survived for 5 days before succumbing. An autopsy was conducted and the bullet track dissected. It was found to be an unusual case of ricocheting of bullet within the body and the patient was found to have died due to late complications.

Keywords

Medicolegal Autopsy, Firearm Injury, Ricocheting of Bullet, Bronchopneumonia