ABSTRACT
Unfortunately, not all objects causing blunt trauma have long and short axes that allow for length and width estimates. For example, a person impacting level ground after a fall would exhibit a blunt injury that would not necessarily be characterized by long and short axes. Similarly, an injury caused by a skull striking the windshield (or windshield striking a skull) during an automobile collision may show a diffuse, rather than a narrowly focused, area of injury. However, as with much of forensic anthropology, the determination of bludgeon versus collision can be complicated by many factors. For example, a fall onto an uneven surface (e.g., onto rocks) may cause traumatic injuries that appear as though they were delivered by a bludgeon with distinct long and short axes. Similarly, a club with a circular outline on the impacting surface (e.g., a hammer) may inflict an injury mimicking a wound from a fall. Thus, in cases of blunt force trauma more than in any other type of trauma, it is important that forensic anthropologists be aware of the circumstances under which the remains were recovered.
