Room saturation with acetylene: a new and lethal manner of theft. A medico-legal case

In pathological-forensic literature blast injuries are usually studied in relation to suicides, homicides during terroristic attacks and accidental events on the workplace, while the finding of these kinds of fatalities during misdoing is a recent occurrence. The Authors describe the peculiar case of the accidental death of the member of a criminal mob specialized in thefts to ATMs using acetylene tanks. The victim, having poured out the acetylene with the intent of triggering an explosion, was involved in the blast of the tank, deceasing immediately. This unusual manner of death highlights the danger of room saturation with acetylene, a criminal technique becoming more and more popular in the last years.