Fatal entrapment under a lift-up storage bed: Accidental death from positional asphyxia.

Abstract

Positional or postural asphyxia results in a violent asphyxial death when the body (e.g. neck and/or chest) suffers kinking of the airway and obstructed normal gas exchange. Accidental deaths from positional asphyxia are poorly described in the literature. They are more common in infants unable to break free from the restraint position. We present a case of an 85-year-old woman discovered trapped with her neck compressed under a lift-up bed storage. The death scene investigation, the medical history of the subject, and the post-mortem findings enabled the cause of the death to be ascribed to accidental positional mechanical asphyxia.