Complete decapitation of a motorcycle driver due to a roadblock chain.
An 18-year-old male driving an off-road motorcycle died from complete decapitation when his motorcycle tore a roadblock chain from its attachment. The decapitation injuries of the head and the torso corresponded perfectly, without apparent loss of tissue. The severance plane passed horizontally through the upper cervical region and C4, which sustained a comminuted fracture. The sharply delineated severance edge had a band-like abrasion. The decapitation resulted from the rotational movement of the unstrung chain, which struck and strangled the driver's neck. We were able to explain the movement of the chain and the decapitation mechanism. This case emphasizes the importance of discussing dynamics with experts to clarify a causal mechanism.
Ihama
Yoko
Y
Department of Legal Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0215, Japan. makino@med.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
Miyazaki
Tetsuji
T
Fuke
Chiaki
C
Niki
Haruo
H
Maehira
Takahiro
T
D000293:Adolescent; D001703:Biophysics; D020212:Carotid Artery Injuries / Q000473:pathology; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D049248:Decapitation / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D018460:Fractures, Comminuted / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009049:Motorcycles; D014132:Trachea / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology
Forensic Sci Int. 2003 Aug 27;135(3):237-8
12927404
Forensic Sci Int. 1999 Nov 22;106(1):55-62
10629968
Int J Legal Med. 2006 Jul;120(4):246-51
16175412
Int J Legal Med. 1998;112(1):55-7
9932744
Forensic Sci Int. 2004 Jan 28;139(2-3):95-102
15040902
Med Sci Law. 1999 Jan;39(1):82-4
10087848
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2004 Jun;25(2):129-30
15166763
Med Sci Law. 1995 Jan;35(1):85-6
7877481
J Forensic Sci. 2007 Sep;52(5):1190-3
17645743
Int J Legal Med. 2006 Nov;120(6):380-2
16636863
Leg Med (Tokyo). 2000 Oct;2(3):159-62
12935719