Fatal accidental hanging by a high-chair waist strap in a 2-year-old girl.
High chairs are commonly used to feed children after 6 months. Related injuries are oftentime minor and rarely leading to death. We describe a case of a 2-year-old female child who used to jump alone on her high chair and also had the habit to fasten the straps by herself. Her mother found her hanging by the waist straps. A thorough investigation showed that she climbed her high chair and fastened the waist straps but not the crotch one. The girl slid down into the seat, trapping her neck in the waist straps and thus resulting in hanging. In here, we concluded that the victim's death was caused by asphyxia, itself, caused by accidental hanging. The present case is of a special interest because of the rare similar cases reported. This case suggests that a correct restraint use and a close supervision would have prevented such a fatal issue.
Institut de Medecine Légale, 11 Rue Humann, 67085 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
Mlayeh
M
Souheil
Farrugia
F
Audrey
Geraut
G
Anny
Raul J
RJ
Sebastien
Ludes
L
Bertrand
D000061:Accidents, Home; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015370:Infant Equipment / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000473:pathology