Abstract
Traumatic limb amputations and transections of the trunk generally indicate high impact velocities. Complete traumatic severances of the trunk in road accidents however are rarely reported in literature. We describe a case where the trunk of a motorcyclist was completely severed as he hit the post of a traffic sign. Based on the documented end position and damage of the motorcycle, an impact velocity range of 52–80 km/h could be determined for the motorcyclist. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the type and mechanism of injury at this comparatively low collision speed range. (Author/publisher)