New twist in woman's gruesome car park death

WARNING - DISTURBING DETAILS: A new twist has emerged in the case of a young woman who died after her head became trapped between her car and a payment machine.

Victoria Strauss, 23 from Columbus, Ohio, died on January 18 after dropping her bank card on the ground then accidentally stepping on her parked car's accelerator, trapping her head.

Police confirmed she died shortly after the incident, which unfolded about 11.40pm, although her body wasn't discovered until the following morning.

A Franklin County Coroner's report, obtained by People, has now revealed her death was caused by a blunt force trauma to the head and that she had a shocking amount of alcohol in her system at the time.

The report revealed she had acute ethanol poisoning with a blood alcohol level of 0.221 - more than four times the legal limit in Australia, and nearly three times Ohio's legal limit of 0.08 BAC (blood alcohol concentration).

Ms Strauss also suffered from mechanical asphyxia, however it was not found to be the direct cause of her death.

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There were no drugs in her system, the report showed.

Ms Strauss graduated from Ohio State University, which issued a statement following news she had died.

“We were heartbroken to learn she passed away on Monday, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family and friends during this difficult time," the university told People at the time.

Ms Strauss’ friends and family paid tribute to her on Facebook, with her cousin saying she was still in “disbelief” over her sudden death.

Another friend and former cheerleading coach described Ms Strauss as a “beautiful soul”.

“I will forever cherish the memories we made and those conversations we shared. Being your Coach has been one of the greatest honours of my life and am so grateful our paths crossed,” she wrote.

Before moving to Ohio, Ms Strauss lived in Florida where she was part of a competitive cheer and dance team.

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