[hermantheshocker]

Greece. During a scheduled job of unsealing and destroying an ARGES EM01-type grenade box, a 42-year-old man, who was a military officer in charge of bomb disposal, accidentally died from the unexpected detonation. He was evacuated to the military hospital where his death was declared.


Fig.1 Dispersion of traumatic lesions on the human body.

The conversion of a defense grenade (hand grenade) into a rifle grenade is done with the installation of a specific component. The rifle grenade ARGES EM01 weighs 355 g and consists of the launcher and the defensive grenade (hand grenade) ARGES 73. It has an oval shape surrounded by a plastic shell. On the inner surface, there are approximately 2600 steel balls with a diameter of 2.5 mm each, which contain the explosive matter (plasticized pentaerythritol tetranitrate, PETN) and are responsible for causing severe bodily injuries. The anti-personnel ARGES EM01-type rifle grenade is a hand grenade which is converted into a rifle grenade in order to increase the grenade range in comparison to the average hand grenade whose throwing distance is 45 m. The installation of the rifle grenade results in a shot distance of up to 250 m.


Fig.2 Wounds of the right hand.

The victim was evacuated by a military vehicle to the nearest hospital immediately after the explosion of the rifle grenade. The absence of medical or nursing staff in the field as well as the multiple diffuse injuries throughout his body created confusion among the soldiers who were present. The evacuation of the injured to the hospital was rapid but without any first aid services. The victim died on the operation table, 15-20 min after the explosion of the rifle grenade. By the time of the patient's death, only two surgical-exploratory incisions had been made in the anterior thoracic region for the determination of the extent of the bleeding and its further cessation. The multiple, dispersedly distributed injuries and the concomitant bleeding caused massive blood loss, which resulted in the hemodynamic instability of the patient. He was in good nutrition and had no other known medical history.


Fig.3 Wounds of the left hand (holding the grenade).

The forensic examination revealed that there were multiple injuries to his body, distributed in the anterior surface of the torso, as well as the extremities, and the maxillofacial burn injury was also identified. The majority of wounds were found to be of ring shape and with evidence of hyperthermal damage. Unevenly shaped ecchymotic lesions were also observed along with concomitant purpura and intense redness of the anatomical areas surrounding the wound. The injuries were detected mainly in the facial area, on the right upper abdomen, on the left lower abdomen, and in the left femoral area. The multiple injuries on the face and forehead (frontal area) caused even partial deformation of the facial features (wounds on lower and upper lips of the mouth, around and within the eyes). The lesions ranged from the forehead to the feet.


Fig.4 Severity of injuries in the human body (chest cavity). Ruptures and exsanguinated pulmonary regions were observed, which was typical of great blood loss.

In the finger and palmar area of the right upper limb, injuries with partial soft tissue deficit were found to carry the evidence of burn damage. The left arm was amputated at the height of the medial palmar area. On the wound edges at the site of amputation, evidence of skin lacerations and burn injuries were observed. During the dissection of the body cavities in the autopsy, multiple ruptures were recorded in the lungs, heart, and abdominal organs. Cerebral hemorrhage was also detected. The death occurred due to post-hemorrhagic shock as a consequence of multiple injuries caused by the rifle grenade detonation.


Fig.5 Severity of injuries caused by explosion shock wave (overpressure).

The unexpected detonation of an explosive device may be caused either by the instability of the explosive ingredients or by mishandling. Aged ammunition may become unstable and therefore be dangerous under specific circumstances. The explosive substance of ARGES 73 rifle grenades (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) is inactive in percussion or dropping and it is rare to cause detonation in that way. The behavior of the explosive substance is also relatively safe in long-term storage. A cause of grenade instability is the grenade fuse, which, under normal conditions, is stable, but after long-term storage, some parts may become unstable.


Fig.6 ARGES 73-type rifle grenade.

The examination of the victim's clothing in order to detect any possible burns as well as the injuries detected on the body of the deceased provided reliable information about the distance of the grenade detonation and the position of the victim at the time of the explosion. The magnitude and spread of projectiles on the human body, in this case, provided reliable data about the position of the victim and the way that he was holding the rifle grenade. The explosion that occurred at point-blank range in relation to the distribution area of wounds leads to the conclusion that the deceased was holding the rifle grenade in his left hand and was in a kneeling position. The dilapidated state of the explosive device resulted in the weakening of the blast overpressure wave, causing death mainly due to injuries induced by fragmentation.

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This post is for educational purposes only and is nonprofit. Under Section 107 of the US Copyright Act of 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. OP is not a medical expert. No copyright infringement intended. This post does not encourage or glorify violence/harassment. Images might have been upscaled and enhanced. Text might have been shortened and simplified/reorganized for online view.

[Cathedral]

(nice brain) classical philosophy vs. munitions

[DeathsHead]

Fucked him up bad,nice find

[ride]

Was he defusing the grenade naked? Sure looks like a bunch of damage for being properly suited up. I mean, I get the not-so-subtle hand removal, but the rest of it?

[William May]

Aren't you supposed to unscrew and remove the detonator top of the grenade before you mess with it? Or is this the kind that does not come apart that way? Any ex-military know info about this kind of round?

[Padraig Flaherty]

That'll do it!

[v1r]

Damn.. Thanks for sharing Herman fascinating read as always!

[Karma]

Originally Posted by HSO ↗

Glad he's dead

Why…? How does it improve your life?

[Vixənn]

survival was never an option for such a careless soul.

[imbok]

Originally Posted by Karma ↗

Why…? How does it improve your life?

Discussions with the irrelevant are the ultimate waste of time.