Chopping wounds of the head from an axe

Note the incised-like nature of wounds with cutting of underlying bone. A chop wound is caused by a heavy weapon or instrument with at least one sharp cutting edge—e.g., axe, machete, panga; often the wound has abraded margins—which may be scraped off—and may be thus confused with a laceration; chop wounds over bone may have a groove or cut in the underlying bone—e.g., skull.