Fatal retropharyngeal haematoma secondary to blunt trauma

Cervical spinal cord injury is one of the most frequent causes of sudden death in blunt trauma. However, upper airway obstruction due to retropharyngeal haematoma also can be life-threatening even when the patient is neurologically intact. We report the case of a 67-year-old man who developed fatal massive retropharyngeal haematoma secondary to minor blunt trauma sustained in a motor vehicle accident.