Background Fatal blast injuries are generally reported as a consequence of explosions, mainly in terrorist events, work-related detonations, or domestic settings. Although quite rare, blast injuries of high kinetic energy can be seen in tyre blowouts and are very dangerous and potentially lethal because of their unpredictability. This phenomenon is rarely reported in the existing forensic literature. The aim of this study was to report two cases of fatal truck tyre bursts and to discuss the mechanisms leading to the burst and the pattern of injuries. Case presentations Case 1 was of a 58-year-old truck driver man who was standing nearby a detached tyre that was being inflated in a repair shop when the burst occurred. The tyre struck him in the face and threw him. The medicolegal autopsy showed a right periorbital haematoma, a large wound of the left parietal scalp, a diffuse subarachnoid haemorrhage, an atlanto-occipital dislocation, a fracture of the hyoid bone, multiple rib fractures, and lacerations of the ascending aorta and the pulmonary arteries. Case 2 involved a young man of 24-year-old, a worker in a tyre repair shop, who was inflating a truck’s tyre when it burst violently. The injuries sustained included bleeding from the right ear, fractures of the facial bones, a left hemispheric subdural haematoma associated with the fracture of the skull base, a rib fracture, and diffuse areas of contusions to the lungs. Toxicological analyses were negative in both cases. Conclusion Fatalities related to tyre blowout accidents are uncommon. The mechanisms leading to a blowout can be mechanical or chemical in origin, and the main danger of a burst often occurs when air enters the tyre during inflation. Internal damage caused by the pressure waves of the blast often exceeds what would be expected based on external signs alone.
Background Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) are histopathologically benign and rare central nervous system tumors. These tumors remain more frequent in children than adults. It is infrequent for these tumors to cause a sudden unexpected death. We aim in this case to discuss the unusual and fatal presentation of choroid plexus papilloma and the mechanism of death. Case presentation we report the case of a 61-year-old man with no medical history, diagnosed at autopsy with a previously unknown CPP. Initial complaints were chronic headache occurring in the last month and acute chest pain for two days. The forensic autopsy including the histopathologic examination showed a tumoral mass of the choroid plexus in the fourth ventricle diagnosed as a psammomatous CPP. The cause of death in this case was attributed to a massive cerebral edema caused by the tumoral mass. Conclusions Through this case report, we stress the importance of an early and a vigorous investigation of every headache and an early detection of this tumor and we highlight as well the role of the post mortem examination to detect such a fatal complication.
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