An Unusual Case of Unintentional Firearm Death of a 3-Year-Old Child

Abstract

The authors report the case of an accidental death of a 3-year-old child who unintentionally shot himself while he was handling his father's handgun.The peculiarity of the observed injury makes the case particularly interesting, along with the fact that, in Italy, unintentional firearm-related deaths are rather uncommon among children and adolescents.Because of the presence of only 1 bullet hole on the parietal-occipital region, radiological cranial examinations were performed before proceeding with the autopsy.Computed tomographic scans were useful to confirm the entrance site of the bullet and, especially, to establish the trajectory with the whole spectrum of fractures.The case shows that the unusual entrance site of the bullet through the nose led to a fatal cranial injury, as a result of curiosity of a 3-year-old child in the presence of an unsupervised handgun.

The National Association of Medical Examiners Position Paper on the Investigation and Certification of Pediatric Deaths From Environmental Neglect

“…Did the child ingest the pill that had been dropped on the floor or was the child administered the drug? An area that we do not address is a child's access to a firearm 58–60 . The approach to these deaths may be similar to those that allow a child access to an illicit drug or an unsupervised potentially dangerous environment.…”

“…An area that we do not address is a child's access to a firearm. [58][59][60] The approach to these deaths may be similar to those that allow a child access to an illicit drug or an unsupervised potentially dangerous environment.…”

Assessing Neglect in Pediatric Environmental Deaths

“…On the other hand, if it is not clear from the investigation whether the drug was inadvertently ingested or intentionally given by another, a manner of undetermined may be appropriate. Although the survey did not address deaths related to children's access to firearms, [56][57][58] the approach to these fatalities may be similar to those that allow a child access to a drug or some other unsupervised and potentially dangerous environment.…”

A Delayed Death due to an Accidental Bullet Brain Injury Initially Mistaken for a Blunt Trauma The Importance of Good Practice in Forensic Medicine

“…In some countries like Pakistan [2], Iran [3] and India [4] public uprising, protests and aggressive mobs are commonly controlled by using force and aerial firing is a well known tool used by administrative bodies to disperse the aggressive mobs. In general numerous factors play a role in the overall incidence of stray bullet injuries such as an undue and inappropriate use of guns, an undue public exposure of weapons or an inadequate maintenance and custody [5]. In some countries there is an additional factor due to tradition of celebrating the marriage ceremonies or the birth of a male child by way of opening aerial fires [2,6,7].…”