A man is stabbed in the abdomen with a knife whose blade measures 7 cm. At autopsy, the wound track is found to be 11 cm deep. The BEST explanation for the track exceeding the blade length is:
- A Postmortem retraction of tissues
- B Movement of the victim towards the assailant after withdrawal
- C Compression of the abdominal wall by the knife hilt during thrust ✓
- D Measurement error of the blade
Correct answer: C. Compression of the abdominal wall by the knife hilt during thrust
Explanation
Soft tissues over the chest and abdomen are compressible, and firm thrusting can indent the body wall by several centimetres, so the internal track may exceed the blade length. This is a well-recognised pitfall in correlating wound depth with weapon dimensions. Victim movement alters track direction but does not lengthen it beyond blade reach, and tissue retraction shortens rather than lengthens apparent tracks.
Reference: Knight's Forensic Pathology, 4th ed.
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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.