Accidental Decapitation in Road Traffic Accident: A Rare Occurence

Abstract

Accidental decapitation is very rarely seen in Road Traffic Accidents. The common site of decapitation is at the level of the mid-neck in C2-C3 vertebrae or C3-C4 vertebrae due to its weak nature. Here we present a rare presentation of decapitation in a case of Road Traffic Accident, where a person riding a cycle was decapitated at the atlanto-occipital joint. The mode of decapitation and the rarity of its site make this case unique. Autopsy surgeons do not encounter decapitation cases regularly and hence on first encounter many queries regarding manner of death arises in one’s mind. The autopsy surgeons should be clear that although decapitations are commonly encountered in suicide and railway track settings, there is a possibility of its occurrence in regular road traffic accident settings also especially in persons travelling in two-wheeled )open) vehicles.