Germany – On New Year’s Eve, a 33-year old hobby pyrotechnician sustained a lethal craniofacial trauma secondary to a salute fireworks blast. According to bystanders, he was examining a misfire of a self-constructed salute gun, when it suddenly detonated, causing an explosive rupture of his forehead, which led to his immediate death. The pressure effect of the explosion caused a regional spread of brain tissue and small polygonal skull fragments up to 30 m (98 ft) from the detonation site.
Fig.1 Facial blast wave injury with gunpowder tattooing.
The equipment used was a self-constructed salute device composed of a platform with five iron tubes soldered on it. Each compartment was filled with 50–55 g (~2 oz) black powder, which was stuffed with newspaper and had a detonation device at the bottom.
The autopsy revealed a complete destruction of the forehead with multiple lacerations of face and scalp with comminuted fractures of the calvarium, skull base and facial bones. The cranial vault was mainly empty with an avulsion of the cerebrum with the cerebellum and brainstem remaining in place and intact.
Fig.2 Self–constructed salute gun.
The whole facial skin showed multiple point and line-shaped black powder fragments, so called powder tattoos. Additionally, cutaneous and conjunctival powder burns could be seen in both eyes. Further gunpowder fragments were embedded in the anterior parts of the cerebrum, which was ejected from the skull by the initial blast wave and was enclosed with the corpse. The upper part of the respiratory tract, i.e. the larynx and upper part of the trachea, was almost entirely blocked with semi-digested chyme.
Fig.3 Semi-digested chime within the upper airways.
Samples of blood and urine were submitted to toxicology laboratory for further analysis. The post-mortem toxicological examination revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.28% and urine alcohol level of 0.33%. No other toxicological substances could be detected. The principle cause of death was an explosion wound to the face and head. The manner of death was ruled as an accident. The equipment used was a self-constructed salute device. Contributory factors were not detected.
Fig.4 Gunpowder tattooing within brain tissue.
This case was remarkable for an unusual destruction of the head caused by a salute firing device in correlation with excessive powder tattooing in the face. The cause of death was the interaction of the pressure wave and the head with an incomplete decapitation, findings that can be interpreted as primary blast injuries. Secondary blast injuries, resulting from the impact of black gun powder could be seen as severe trauma tattooing in the facial region. The similarity to a high velocity gunshot wound was unusual, but the possibility could be ruled out by the results of the crime scene investigation and the autopsy.
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