Citation

Makhoba MA, du Toit-Prinsloo L. Forensic Sci. Med. Pathol. 2017; 13(4): 459-463.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X323, Arcadia, 0007, South Africa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12024-017-9910-5

PMID

28871369

Abstract

Self-inflicted explosive deaths due to detonation of fireworks are rare. In this case report, a peculiar case of an elderly male who discharged a firecracker inside his mouth, resulting in fatal blast induced craniofacial injuries, is described. There is paucity of published data describing fireworks-related suicidal and/or non-suicidal deaths. Even scantier data is present specifically describing fireworks-related blast induced neurotrauma and the mechanism(s) of injury involved in such cases. This case report emphasizes the severe damage that a commercially available explosive, the so-called "Gorilla Bomb", can cause, and raises questions about the relative ease of its acquisition.

Language: en

Keywords

Blast injury; Fireworks; Intra-cranial injuries; Intra-oral injuries; Suicide