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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Pseudofracture: An Acute Peripheral Tissue Trauma Model
Published on: April 18, 2011
Model cannons causing lethal traumata
W Grellner1, H Bratzke2, G Bode1
1Department of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center, Goettingen, Germany.
Abstract:
Model cannons are usually considered to be harmless toys; therefore no legal regulations are required. Nevertheless, suicidal intentions or playful experimentation can turn this toy into a lethal weapon. This paper describes two cases of misuse of model cannons, leading to severe injuries and consequently death: the first case was the result of a suicidal intention, where the cannon caused a bullet injury into the forehead with marked signs of close-firing and intensive brain damage. The second case was an accidental event, where the cannon induced an entry wound at the left chest wall with surrounding carbonization and a fatal rupture of the heart. Circumstances of the lethal situations and mechanisms of the cannons leading to fatal injuries including ballistic considerations are described. The report is supported by a thorough literature research.
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