Abstract. Current forensic medical literature offers limited methodologies for determining the age of bone fractures, primarily focusing on ribs and the presence of fractographic signs along fracture edges. However, there is a notable absence of established diagnostic criteria for assessing the age of skull fractures, especially in cases complicated by purulent infection. This article presents a forensic case study involving a skull fracture with delayed healing due to secondary purulent infection. In such instances, existing approaches provide only approximate estimations of the time of injury. Based on the findings, we propose that accurate age determination of skull fractures should rely on a detailed analysis of the morphological characteristics of the fracture edges, alongside a comprehensive evaluation of all associated injuries and their traces identified during both external and internal examinations.
Keywords: fractographic signs, lifetime, age of bone fractures