Citation

Behera C, Krishna K. Med. Leg. J. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Medico-Legal Society, Publisher SAGE Publications)

DOI

10.1177/0025817219876094

PMID

32228375

Abstract

A 27-year-old female student was found dead inside the bathroom of her university hostel. The body was in a prone position with her neck over-flexed on to her trunk. The medico-legal autopsy found features of asphyxia. Multiple lacerated wounds were present on the occipital region of scalp. The cause of death was opined as positional asphyxia following an accidental fall and blunt trauma to the head. In this case, concussion due to blunt trauma to the head may have precluded any self-rescue efforts by the victim from the floor leading to positional asphyxia.

Language: en

Keywords

Positional asphyxia; accidental fall; body habitus; head injury