Circular saw-related fatalities: A rare case report, review of the literature, and forensic implications

Analysis of Class Characteristics of Reciprocating Saws,

“…In addition to chainsaw use, circular saws have also been noted in forensic contexts . Circular saws create fixed radius concave (or bending) striae .…”

“…In a forensic context, this definition could also be expanded to include decapitation or severing through the spinal column . Previous case studies provide examples of criminal dismemberment and several note the relatively common frequency with which dismemberment occurs in a medicolegal context . Furthermore, previous researchers have identified the three main motivations for criminal dismemberment, where perpetrators may hope to hinder or prevent the positive identification of remains, facilitate transport of remains, or may be motivated to disfigure or dehumanize the victim , all of which may impede forensic investigations.…”

“…Moore demonstrated that significant differences in chainsaw kerfs do exist based on chain type and tooth design. In addition to chainsaws, circular saws have also been noted in forensic contexts and documented in case studies . Symes et al described the fixed radius concave (or bending) striae characteristic of chainsaws.…”

An unusual case of suicide: Near decapitation by a modified table saw

“…The main problem with these safety features is that they are often disabled by users; Smith et al reported that victims disabled the safety features or had no safety features present in 73 percent of accidental table saw injuries [12]. There are also home-made table saws completely lacking safety equipment [6]. Unfortunately, these types of safety equipment are not sufficient to prevent suicides.…”

“…While 85% of injuries are caused by unwanted contact with the blade, the remainder of injuries are caused by kickback [1]. However, table saw-inflicted accidental injuries are rarely fatal [2].To date, there are no reports of homicides or homicidal attempts using table saws in the scientific literature and there are only a few reported suicide cases [3][4][5][6][7]. In suicide cases, usually the neck or the head is targeted [6], but there has been one case in which other body parts were targeted [3].…”