TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - Death by complete decapitation of motorcyclist wearing full face helmet: Case report
JO  - Forensic science international
A1  - Zoja, Riccardo
A1  - Gentile, Guendalina
A1  - Giovanetti, Giulio Federico
A1  - Palazzo, Elisa
SP  - e48
EP  - 50
VL  - 207
IS  - 1-3
N2  - We describe a case of complete decapitation following a motorcycle accident in which the victim was wearing a full face helmet. A young man lost control of his motorcycle and was thrown about 20m, hitting his head against the barrier separating a tramline from the road. The resulting trauma caused his decapitation, the only fatal wound ascertained by the various forensic investigations. The authors present this rare case and compare it against the other two cases reported in the literature, providing some observations on the ways in which this injury can come about. The absence of abrasions or signs that the wound edges came into contact with a metal structure, the presence of signs of impact on the side of the helmet and the finding of a transversal fracture at the base of the skull point to the violent action of a side-to-side opposite force, due to the resistance provided by the lower edge of the protective helmet.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0379-0738
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.12.010
ID  - ref1
ER  -