New York – Stab wounds into the victim’s back made with a large bladed knife. No further info about this case.
Stabbing wounds are piercing wounds, which may extend through the tissue and bone into the vital organs. They are caused by relatively sharp-pointed instruments such as knives, screwdrivers, ice picks, daggers, scissors, or pieces of glass. Stab wounds vary according to the type of weapon employed and how it was used in the attack, (thrust, pulled out, twisted, etc.). The principle involving lines of cleavage (Langer’s lines) is also applicable to stab wounds.
Fig.1 Stab wounds into the victim’s back made with a large bladed knife.
The stabbing wounds can appear open and gaping or tight and narrow depending on whether the wound runs parallel to the lines of cleavage or against them. The shape of the stab wound might indicate what type of weapon or blade was used. However, like a bullet wound, the stab wound will be smaller than the blade that caused it due to the elasticity of the skin. The type of wound is, therefore, determined by estimates of the minimum and maximum size. Sometimes the knife hilt may bruise the skin and leave an identifiable mark.
Fig.2 Stab wound difference by angle of knife.
Fig.3 Langer’s lines, the principle involving lines of cleavage.
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