Accidental Hanging between ventilation window and air condition unit a very unusual death- A case report

Abstract

Hanging is a form of strangulation meaning application of external pressure on the neck, either by a ligature or by any other material and the force of constriction to the neck is provided by the gravitational pull to the body. Hanging is often suicidal, homicidal (lynching) and rarely accidental. A boy of about 18 years of age was found hanging by the neck, and neck being caught in between window pan and external AC (air condition) unit. It was a complete hanging with no part touching the ground. Accidental hanging is uncommon, though few cases are reported in children and some in autoerotic context in adults. The study of the death scene, the forensic autopsy findings, the toxicological analysis and the study of the circumstances of death are essential to evaluate the actual mode and manner of death.