Citation

Vadysinghe AN, Sivasubramanium M, Jayasooriya RP. Forensic Sci. Med. Pathol. 2017; 13(4): 441-443.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12024-017-9902-5

PMID

28819718

Abstract

A unique case of accidental hanging due to compression of the neck of an adult by the branches of a coffee tree is reported. The decedent was a 42-year-old male who was found dead in a semi prone position on a slope. His neck was lodged in a wedge formed by two branches of a coffee tree, with his legs angled downwards on the slope. Autopsy revealed two friction abrasions located horizontally on either side of the front of the neck, just above the larynx. The findings were compatible with compression of the neck by the branches of the tree, with the body weight of the decedent contributing to compression. Subsequent complete autopsy examination confirmed the cause of death as hanging. Following an inquest the death was ruled to be accidental.

Language: en

Keywords

Accidental hanging; Atypical neck compression; Coffee tree branches; Partial hanging