Now this is a question I never thought I'd have to ask but here it is: How much damage would a toothpick stuck into someone's jugular do? It's supposed to be just one quick stab, meant to look nastier than it is. Some good bleeding but nothing to die from. How realistic do you think is that?
My gut says not much damage. There would be some bleeding but not a great gush. A doctor in training (a resident) would now pull out a copy of Gray's Anatomy and see how deep in inches the jugular is from the surface and how long a toothpick would be needed to reach it.
As far as my unprofessional knowledge goes, the external jugular veins run fairly superficial. A toothpick should be long enough to reach them. Though now that you mention it, puncturing the carotid would maybe make for a more dramatic effect. It doesn't really matter anyway because I won't be describing it in anatomic detail. The gist of it is: someone gets stuck in the neck which results in a non-lethal wound but a fair amount of bleeding.
