A rare hepatic trauma caused by vertical inertial force

We report the case of a 33-year-old man who presented to our emergency department with severe abdominal pain. He had no trauma history. Physical examination revealed peritonitis. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a large hepatic laceration with massive hemoperitoneum. The patient underwent emergency laparotomy and surgical repair of the hepatic laceration. A vertical inertial force was postulated as the cause of such a rare hepatic trauma. He recovered uneventfully. We review and discuss the detailed trauma history, clinical manifestations, imaging study observations, and mechanisms underlying inertial force injury in this report.