Traumatic basal subarachnoid haemorrhage is an uncommon disorder that is well described in the forensic literature. The aetiology traditionally has been a relatively minor blunt trauma which is sustained typically at the level of the base of head and injures the arterial system to the brain. The site of trauma may be occult and not always demonstrable. In the case discussed, an acute baso-brainstem subarachnoid haemorrhage was caused by a severed extracranial vertebral artery due to a stabwound injury to the upper neck. A gravitational factor and alcohol intoxication, which might contribute to the basal intracranial haematoma, is given a novel thought.
