Fatal injury caused by a homemade pepper grinder.

Household accidental injuries can occur via several mechanisms, but fatal penetration injuries are rare. A rare case of fatal penetration injury caused by a homemade pepper grinder is reported. The broken blades of a pepper grinder fatally injured a 72-year-old male. The blade fragments penetrated the individual's chest, injuring the aorta, the pulmonary artery and the lungs, resulting in hemorrhagic shock. The exact position of the blade was determined via postmortem computed tomography (PM-CT). This case demonstrates the injuring capacity of homemade rotating tools.