Citation

Szleszkowski Ł, Golema W, Jurek T. Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. 2020; 41(2): 135-137.

Affiliation

From the Department of Forensic Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/PAF.0000000000000545

PMID

32379097

Abstract

The authors report on a case of a 43-year-old male pedestrian struck and run over by a truck. The accident was accompanied by a mechanism of injury resulting in a unique autopsy picture of trunk and head injuries. The internal organs of the neck (larynx, trachea, esophagus), chest (lungs, thoracic aorta), and part of the abdominal cavity (bottom of the stomach and fragments of the liver) were dislocated in the direction of the head. The result was a traumatically deformed, crushed skull characterized by an extensive gaping wound with excerebration. The organs were dislocated through a channel formed by the rupture of soft tissues and comminuted fracture of the base of the skull. Parts of internal organs (larynx, trachea, and aorta) were turned 180° around the transverse axis of the body. This report, due to its unusual character, may be useful during detailed analysis of potential injury mechanisms in traffic accidents involving pedestrians.

Language: en