I know there are plenty of cases in which someone has survived a shot through the brain, or in which only part of their functioning is impaired, but for the most part, why does a bullet randomly aimed at someone’s head kill them nearly instantaneously? Rather than just losing eyesight or the ability to move an arm or leg. Thanks!
In: Biology
Because you are mostly incompressible liquid the bullet creates a shock wave that damages tissues well beyond the actual impacted areas.
It also depends on the caliber of the bullet and the speed at which it enters the skull. Low caliber and low speed rounds have the power to enter the skull but not exit, causing them to bounce around inside and turn the brain to soup. And when bullets have enough power to also exit the skull, the force of the exit causes extra trauma on its way out.
It depends on what parts of the brain are damaged. Many parts result in death, some slow and others fast. But there have been cases of someone being shot in the head and it only affecting specific functions, and a few cases of them being shot in a manner that results in little to no impairment.
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