ABSTRACT
Traumatic forces applied to the head can result in injuries to the skull, fractures of the bony vault and injuries to the brain itself. Homicide or accidental circumstances are more common with head injuries as a manner of death than suicide. However, an intentional fall from great height, an intentional motor vehicle accident, or a self-inflicted gunshot wound may result in craniocerebral injuries with a suicidal manner of death. Examination of the victim is complex because of the numerous body systems enclosed in a relatively small space-skeletal, circulatory, and nervous systems.
