Blunt Trauma:

          1.Abrasions (scrapes)

          2.Contusions (bruises)

          3.Lacerations (tears)

          4.Fractures of bones

Abrasions indicate contact with a rough surface or object and shows exact site of contact or impact

Often seen in conjunction with contusions

May exhibit characteristic patterns

Contusions may not become visible for minutes, hours, a few days or not at all

Can be produced immediately following death

Age determination is difficult at best

Intensity and/or duration of force is difficult to estimate

Lacerations result from blunt force, with ragged, irregular margins

Generally scraping and bruising of the wound margins

May observe “bridging” within parts of the wound

Lacerations and cuts are not the same and are not interchangeable in documentation

LACERATIONS ARE BLUNT TRAUMA, CUTS ARE SHARP TRAUMA