Circular saw cuts of the neck in a suicide, no further info. Accidental table saw injuries are common and approximately 30,000–40,000 injuries by table saw occur in the United States annually. Nearly half of all saw-related amputations are caused by table saws. Victims that commit suicide by table saw primarily target the neck. The mechanism of death in neck injuries is always exsanguination due to injury of the large vessels, but some blood aspiration also occurs.
Fig.1 Circular saw cuts of neck.
In the reconstruction of events in table saw fatalities, the analysis of circumstances and injuries is important to differentiate between murder, suicide, or accidents. Signs of struggle (e.g., broken furniture), grab marks, and defensive wounds suggest murder. The presence of a suicide note, information about previous suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts, presence of scars from previous suicidal incisions, or tentative cuts indicate suicide. The presence of abrasion, contusion, or laceration by a blunt force impact on the head suggests an accident due to a kickback, occurring when the victim fell down on the rotating blade after getting hit by the timber kicked back by the saw. During the “normal” use of a table saw, the operator is standing in front of the table in line with the rotating blade, so if he falls down on the blade, it will cause vertical head or neck injury. In contrast, the injury is more horizontal in suicides.
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