Plain language summary

Falls can be dangerous, but sometimes whatever caused the fall can be even more dangerous. Here we present the case of a man who was hospitalised after a fall, but for whom identifying the cause and appropriate treatment took some time. A man in his forties was brought to the trauma unit of a university hospital. According to the information received by the Emergency Medical Communications Centre, he had fallen down a 3–4 m slope, possibly as a result of intoxication. The ambulance team reported both cognitive and circulatory impairment. There was no information to suggest previous illness or a history of substance abuse.