Traumatic basal subarachnoid haemorrhage is an uncommon disorder that
is well described in the forensic literature. The aetiology traditiona
lly has been a relatively minor blunt trauma which is sustained typica
lly at the level of the base of head and injures the arterial system t
o the brain. The site of trauma may be occult and not always demonstra
ble. In the case discussed, an acute baso-brainstem subarachnoid haemo
rrhage 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 haemat
oma, is given a novel thought.