Acute death due to hyperextension injury of the cervical spine caused by falling and slipping onto the face

Abstract 

This retrospective study presents findings of cases involving fatal injuries, in which the victim was found dead at the scene, resulting from cervical hyperextension force attributable to a fall from a low height. External postmortem examination of 14 victims revealed that abrasions and lacerations of the face or the forehead are typical indicators of a direct impact. Either a disruption at the disk space or a transverse fracture of the vertebral body was apparent in the spinal column. The most frequent disk disruption injury occurred at the inter-vertebral space between C4 and C5, and double disruptions were observed in four instances. The damaged cord demonstrated central hemorrhage; moreover, axonal fragmentation and neuronal chromatolysis in the white matter column were evident histopathologically. The elderly victims (mean age, 64.7 years), many of whom displayed elevated blood alcohol levels, experienced the injury consequent to a fall from a low height, a fall during bicycling or slipping on a slope under accidental circumstances.

Keywords: Hyperextension, Cervical spine, Alcohol, Elderly, Falls