Airbags are an example of passive preventive measures reducing the risk of severe injury or death from a motor vehicle accident. However, airbags have also been described as a source of injuries related to airbag deployment.
Typical airbag-related injuries are eye injuries, cervical spine injuries, rib fractures, cardiac injuries, extremity injuries, and thoracic aortic rupture (TAR).[1-3] Approximately one-third of patients with TAR who survive till hospital admission die before surgical treatment.[4] We present a patient with TAR after a low-speed motor vehicle accident with rapidly deteriorating vital signs and subsequent death on the scene.