title: Complete trunk severance of a motorcyclist by a traffic sign post at a comparably low collision speed.
abstract: Traumatic limb amputations and transections of the trunk generally indicate high impact velocities. Complete traumatic severances of the trunk in road accidents however are rarely reported in literature. We describe a case where the trunk of a motorcyclist was completely severed as he hit the post of a traffic sign. Based on the documented end position and damage of the motorcycle, an impact velocity range of 52-80 km/h could be determined for the motorcyclist. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the type and mechanism of injury at this comparatively low collision speed range.
authors.affiliation: Jena University Hospital-Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Legal Medicine, Fürstengraben 23, 07743 Jena, Germany. holger.muggenthaler@med.uni-jena.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Muggenthaler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Drobnik
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hubig
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reiners
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mall
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D000054:Acceleration; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009049:Motorcycles; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000473:pathology*