Hangman's fracture
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A Hangman's fracture is the colloquial name given to a combination of fracture of the odontoid process of the second cervical vertebra and disruption of the transverse atlantal ligament.
This injury is almost always instantly fatal. It requires considerable force, which usually compresses the odontoid fragment directly against the upper cervical spinal cord, severely injuring the delicate neural tissue.
The mechanism of the injury is forcible hyperextension of the head. Traditionally this would occur during judicial hanging, when the noose was placed below the condemned subject's chin. When the subject was dropped, the head would be forced into hyperextension by the full weight of the body, a sufficient force to cause the fracture.
In the modern world, this injury is still sometimes seen, due to sports injuries or road traffic accidents. In deliberate or suicidal hanging, asphyxia is much more likely to lead to death.
