This individual shot himself under the chin from a 12 gauge shotgun and walked 10–15 ft to his truck and got in and later died. Most of the injury was to the soft tissue of the face with only a few pellets entering the cranial cavity. Face flap reposition was performed. An apparent devastating wound of the head does not necessarily indicate immediate immobilization.
Fig.1 Contact wound under the chin from a 12 gauge shotgun. Tangential wound of the face with only a few pellets entering the cranial cavity.
Despite the extreme amount of facial destruction, careful and meticulous reapproximation of the face, and tears allows for the demonstration and confirmation of the entrance wound. Reconstruction of the wound can be very important to determine particular wound characteristics.
Fig.2 Face flap repositioned.
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