Tracheobronchial tears/lacerations are rarely found in blunt traumas and when occurring, it predominantly happens in the intrathoracic trachea or mainstem bronchi ^1,2. 

Three different mechanisms have been proposed to justify the intrathoracic tracheal tears ¹:

• sudden and vigorous anteroposterior thoracic compression: believed to pull the lungs apart from the carina as a consequence of the increase in the thoracic transverse diameter
• shearing forces related to rapid deceleration, considering that the carina is relatively fixed 
• squeezing of the chest while the glottis is closed leading to a sudden rise in the airways internal pressure leading to rupture at the tracheal membranous portion