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First published online March 17, 2026

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Fatal head injury by crossbow and ability to act: A case report and literature review

Federica Attico https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5322-4133 [email protected], Francesco Di Paola, […], Bianca Beltrame, Venusia Cortellini, and Andrea Verzeletti+2View all authors and affiliations

https://doi.org/10.1177/00258172261427907

Abstract
References

Abstract

Historically, the crossbow was a war weapon fired from a distance. It was superseded by guns and nowadays maybe used for sport and recreation. They can cause fatal injuries though such incidents are fortunately rare. Accordingly, forensic pathologists may face challenges when they are asked to determine the manner of death when a crossbow is involved. We present the case of a young man who was found dead in a fenced field. It was summertime and he was in an advanced state of putrefaction. The examiner observed a roundish cutaneous discontinuity on the forehead, from which a crossbow bolt protruded. At about 4 m from the corpse, a crossbow and further bolts were found. The cause of death was identified as an intracranial injury resulting from a single bolt shot that transfixed the head. Together with the circumstantial evidence, it was concluded that this lethal injury was self-inflicted and that subsequently the victim had been able to walk. A literature review was conducted regarding the lethality of crossbow injuries and the resulting ability to act following such trauma.

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