Homicidal blunt abdominal trauma with isolated laceration of the small bowel mesentery

Nonpenetrating abdominal trauma rarely causes isolated mesenteric lacerations with fatal hemorrhages. When this does happen, it is often the result of compression by a lap seal belt or a steering wheel, only extremely rarely is it the result of a homicidal act. In the present paper, two homicide victims with resulting mesenteric tears and fatal bleeding due to sagittal compression are described. A high blood alcohol concentration may in both cases have contributed to the fatal outcome. The cases support the assumption that direct rather than indirect trauma causes this kind of lesion.