Citation

Jothee S, Shafie MS, Mohd Nor F. Forensic Sci. Int. 2018; 291: e4-e7.

Affiliation

Forensic Unit, Department of Pathology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: mnfaridah@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.08.038

PMID

30217665

Abstract

We present a case of a fatal motor vehicle collision of a 22-year-old car driver, who died at the scene after losing control of his car, and subsequently collided with a tree by the roadside. The subsequent autopsy revealed penetrating injuries on the neck, severing the larynx, carotid artery, jugular vein and fracturing the cervical vertebrae. Internal examination showed the offending material to be a semi-cylindrical metal fragment, which had lodged within the paravertebral muscle. Examination of the car with the authorities found that the metal fragment originated from a defective airbag booster cannister, which shattered upon deployment.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Airbag; Forensics; Metal fragment; Motor-vehicle fatality; Penetrating neck injury