Hooked to death: An unusual RTA: A case report

In almost all instances, road traffic accidents account for the majority of cases that a forensic specialist will have to handle. It is easy to therefore look at them as routine cases where the cause of death will be head injury related or some combination of poly-trauma. Though this is often the case, we normally do not think about or investigate the mechanics of how such accidents occur. Having a cause of death seems to be the only priority. Examining the mechanics would perhaps allow us to give advice on how to prevent such accidents. With the enormous number of road traffic accidents in India, every life saved counts. Herein we present a case involving the pillion rider on a two-wheeler and a truck. The uniqueness of the death involves the fittings attached to the truck, namely the metal chain with its hook used to fasten the back entry. This is, to our knowledge, the first documented case wherein a hook of this kind has dragged a pillion rider off the vehicle and caused death.