title: Unusual neck lesion in a pedestrian caused by a road accident.
abstract: The authors describe a road accident that occurred in the Trieste region of Italy in 1998, wherein a pedestrian experienced a mortal injury. During the on-site examination, the forensic officer in charge noticed, in addition to dispersed abrasions, bruises, and fractures, an unusual position of the head with a highly unusual motility of the cervical rachis and, above all, an apparent whitish fibrous elastic cord, 7-8 cm long, which came out of the mouth. The cord was found to be a segment of the spinal cord, expelled and driven into the mouth cavity by the impact. This represents an interesting case because of the specific dynamics of the accident and the type of lesion involved. This kind of spinal cord injury, in particular, is infrequent among pedestrians involved in road accidents in comparison with other road casualties.
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Medicina Legale, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Medicina Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Viola
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Di Nunno
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Costantinides
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: Stanislao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mangiatordi
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Nunno
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D001344:Autopsy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology*