A fatal case of air-bag-mediated liver injury in an unrestrained driver.
A middle-aged man, who drove a small vehicle while drunken and not wearing a seat belt, crashed head on into a pier wall at a high speed. The rapid air-bag deployment caused abdominal compression of the driver, who was found dead 2 m away from the car. There were facial front-glass injuries and multiple rib fractures, but no head injury. Autopsy disclosed liver laceration with intra-abdominal hemorrhage (2,000 mL), resulting in hemorrhagic shock. This is the first autopsy report of liver laceration caused by the rapid expansion of an air-bag during an automobile crash.
Uemura
Koichi
K
Section of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan. kuemura.legm@tmd.ac.jp
Uchida
Kyoko
K
Nara
Akina
A
Ochiai
Eriko
E
D000005:Abdomen / Q000473:pathology; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D017278:Air Bags / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000150:complications; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000473:pathology; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology*; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012253:Rib Fractures / Q000473:pathology; D012771:Shock, Hemorrhagic / Q000209:etiology*
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol