To investigate the distribution of time of early death in the patients with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI).The clinical data of 63 CECI patients, including demographics, mechanism of injury, cervical spinal cord injury level and severity, associated injury, radiographs, management, and the causes of death, the time from injury to hospitalization and the time from injury to death were retrospectively analyzed so as to detect the time and cause of early death.The 63 CDCI patients died in early stage. 27 of the 63 patients (42.8%) died within a week after CSCI; 43 patients (68.3%) died within two weeks after CSCI, 57 patients (90.5%) died within four weeks after CSCI, and 6 patients (9.5%) died after four weeks after CSCI.The peak time of death is a week after CSCI. The major time of death is two weeks after CSCI. 90.5% cases died within four weeks. Respiratory failure is the leading cause of early death in patients with CSCI.