Abstract
Darts are constantly gaining in popularity. However, their risk of injury is often underestimated. This report is about a juvenile who suffered from a severe eye injury including the opening of the eye bulb. The attending ophthalmologists ruled out the possibility that this kind of injury could be caused by a dart with a plastic point. However, by reconstructing the course of action and throwing darts at porcine eyes, the forensic medical advisory opinion was able to state that darts with damaged plastic points may cause the exact same form of injury. This casuistic illustrates the essential significance of forensic-traumatological knowledge and, especially in the case of rare injury patterns, case-related practical experiments.
Highlights
The game of darts originated in the early 20th century
There are only few casuistic reports or case series of eye injuries caused by darts
Darts bear a relevant risk of injury if used carelessly or improperly
Summary
The game of darts originated in the early 20th century. It is constantly increasing in popularity for leisure activities and for highly endowed competitive sports [1]. The report below presents a rare case of a perforating eye injury caused by the plastic point of a dart. Two ophthalmologists from the treating hospital testified that the pattern of injury described above could not be induced by a dart’s point, stating that in this case the injury would have to be punctual They testified that in this particular case something would have to hit the eye with 100 km/h and that the injury in question seemed to have been caused by falling on the edge of a table, regardless of the juvenile’s statement that she had not tumbled. After one throw, injury very similar to the juvenile’s was induced by a dart with a pinched-off point (Fig. 2). The charge was dismissed due to diverging testimony and the missing evidence weapon
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