ABSTRACT
This 80-year-old woman fell backward on stairs and hit the back of her head (Image 1-3). In the occipital scalp, there is a “9.0 x 6.0 centimeter ovoid, dark purple contusion with a central 3.0 centimeter abraded laceration.” Recall that lacerations have abraded margins. Note the tissue bridging deep within this injury (Image 1-4). This feature helps distinguish lacerations from sharp force injuries such as incised and stab wounds, which typically have smooth, sharp edges without tissue bridging.
