Mechanisms and weapons in physical elder abuse injuries: Findings from legally adjudicated cases

•Recognizing physical elder abuse injuries among purportedly unintentional injuries is a critical role for trauma providers, and understanding injury patterns may be helpful.•Victims of physical elder abuse with injuries are more commonly assaulted with an abuser's body part than with an object.•When an object is used, it is more commonly a household object than a weapon.•Mechanisms, weapons, characteristics of the older adults, and surrounding circumstances each impact the injury patterns found.