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Unusual accidental decapitation in a road traffic incident

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Abstract

Decapitation is an occurrence only rarely encountered in forensic medical practice. This fatality is generally most often described in pedestrians who have been run over by trains accidently or in cases of suicide, or alternatively in occupants of cars involved in high speed vehicle collisions. We report, for the first time, a case of a complete decapitation of a pedestrian as a consequence of a traffic accident. Due to a thorough medico-legal investigation of the body and the involved vehicle, we were able to reconstruct the unique dynamics of the accident and the mechanism of injury.

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Funding

This case study received no specific funding or grant from public, private or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Sciences, Section of Medical Forensic Sciences, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134, Florence, Italy

    Amalia Angelino

  2. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Amalia Angelino, Peter Thiis Knudsen & Peter Mygind Leth

Authors
  1. Amalia Angelino
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  2. Peter Thiis Knudsen
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  3. Peter Mygind Leth
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amalia Angelino.

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Angelino, A., Knudsen, P.T. & Leth, P.M. Unusual accidental decapitation in a road traffic incident. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 14, 117–119 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-017-9935-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-017-9935-9

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