Book 2 - Nathan, Amy, Madison and Ethan Berga

Q. What caused it
A. It could be caused by a counterstroke, a
blow on one part producing a fracture on
another part.
Cross-examination.
Q. This hemorrhage, I gather, Doctor,
was caused by the rough edges of the bone
where it was a fractured lacerating the
small vessels
A. Yes, that is probably the way it was
caused.
Q. Now, you spoke of hemorrhage from
the ear That hemorrhage came from the
ear drum, I suppose
A. Well, the fracture extended down
through the canal of the ear.
Q. So that, in your judgment, when the
fracture was made the canal of the ear was
lacerated and hemorrhage would occur immediately
A. Yes.
Q. It would be the best of your judgment
that the hemorrhage took place immediately
after the fracture of the skull
A. Yes.
Q. So that at a point about an inch and
a half above the ear two lines of fractures
started, one running forward and the other
downward striking the canal of the ear
Q. Now, Doctor, I suppose your knowledge
of injuries of this kind is largely what the
books tell you. You have not had much
experience with fractures of the skull
A. I never saw one just like this.
Q. What I want to get at is, what is the
probability of a fracture of this nature,
with two or three lines running from a
point, what is the probability of a fracture
of that kind coming from a counterstroke
A. It depends entirely upon the part received
and the instrument delivering the
stroke.
Q The point I am getting at is this: where
you find a radiating fracture is it not usually
caused by a blow at that point
A. Yes sir, it is.
Q. And if there had been an abrasion over
that spot where the fracture radiated you
would say unhesitatedly that it was caused
by a blow at that point
A. Yes Sir.
Q. These blows in front of the skull cut the
scalp
A. Yes.
Q. And I suppose you could not judge of
how heavy the blow was unless you knew
what the instrument was
A. No.
A. Yes Sir.
Q. The long line of fracture was about four
inches
A. I should judge about that.
106
Q. In your judgment, from your experience
and reading would not a blow sufficient to
cause such a fracture as that from a counterstroke
produce temporary unconsciousness,
or, to be more vulgar, to knock a man