Survival advice can come in handy at any moment, so knowing them now is preferable to being in a life-or-death situation later.
Of course, the best method to avoid getting wounded is to stay out of the situation altogether. However, things can be very unpredictable at times. Here are four situations that you might find yourself in and how to survive them:
1. Getting Stabbed
The most obvious way to survive being stabbed is to not get stabbed in the first place. Another way to survive a stab is to remember the 5Ds of dodgeball which are Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge. But if you have no choice, a possible way is to guide the stab in a positive direction. Although the human body is essentially a no-stab zone, there are some areas where an incoming stab is better directed than others. Your flanks are a good place to avoid because a knife can damage one or more organs if it penetrates deeply enough. A stab in the upper flank is particularly deadly.
Picture: WordPress
The lungs are particularly allergic to being stabbed, yet a stab to the lungs poses a double threat. First, you’ll jeopardize the lung’s ability to stay inflated and perform its function, putting your ability to breathe in jeopardy. Second, a punctured lung can fill with blood, causing life-threatening complications such as sudden death or a prolonged, gurgling death as you choke on your own blood while asphyxiating.
So where to take a stab if our bodies are a no-stab zone? If possible, put up your forearms to block or deflect the impending strike. Even if the knife gets past your defense, you’ll sap a lot of the attack’s kinetic energy, lessening the stab’s penetrating effectiveness. Your forearms will most likely be slashed to ribbons, but it’ll be better than a knife through the ribs.
Another safe spot to take a stab would be your stomach. A less ideal, but more livable, setting. Stomach injuries are very painful, but they may be treated and survive provided you seek medical help within 30 minutes to an hour. If your stomach ruptures and the contents flow within you, the recuperation process will be lengthy, and you risk developing a dangerous infection.
What to do if you are stabbed?
Picture: Healthline
If you’ve been stabbed, whether intentionally or accidentally, the following step is to offer first aid as soon as possible. Resist the impulse to rip out the impaling object if it is still stuck inside you. Instead, keep the thing inside you and wrap a bandage around it to stop or delay the bleeding. Pulling out the impaling object will open up the wound, but it will remain sealed as long as it is inside you.
The most crucial thing to do if you’ve been stabbed or impaled in the chest is to seal the wound as soon as possible. This is because if air gets into your chest cavity, it might fill it up and put pressure on your lung, preventing it from fully expanding. This is referred to as a collapsed lung, and it can result in asphyxiation. To treat a chest cut, place a piece of plastic directly on the hole and then press firmly with gauze, a dishrag, or a shredded t-shirt—whatever is available—to stop the bleeding.
2. Gun Shot
First and foremost, assess the situation and make your way to safety. Is the person who shot you still aiming at you? Request that they come to a halt politely. Get to safety if they refuse. It’s pointless to survive your first bullet wound only to have to deal with a second one right away. Then, unlike a stabbing, it’s necessary to administer emergency first aid, because a gunshot wound is often tenfold more damaging to your internal organs. That’s because when a round penetrates your body, it causes significant shock and expansion, which might result in the formation of a temporary internal cavity into which your organs snap back.
Picture: DNA India
You will have significant blood loss, which will render you unconscious in 30 seconds and likely dead in 60 seconds. The first order of business is to stop or slow the bleeding. Apply immediate pressure to the wound with your hands while you—or a friend—look for more appropriate bandaging material. Do not remove the bullet right away. A smart approach to complement a bullet wound with a stab wound is to place a knife inside you to dig out a bullet. Maintain pressure and, whatever you do, wait for a doctor to replace the bandaging for you. The blood clot that may be formed will be torn loose by pulling off the bandaging.
3. Car Crash
It’s unavoidable, given the high frequency of car accidents. To make it through, fasten your seatbelt first. Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of a fatal injury by 45 percent and the risk of a moderate to serious injury by 50 percent. It is not enough to simply wear a seat belt; it must be worn correctly. On extended car drives, the upper portion that crosses your chest can be uncomfortable, but not wearing it is just as hazardous as not wearing a seat belt at all.
Picture: The Clark Law Office
The next step is to sit in your seat as erect as possible. Kicking your feet up on the dash is a terrific way to lose your feet, as well as having your knees slam into your face and convert your brain to pudding. If you’re in the front seats, the deploying airbag can injure your legs severely, putting you in a position where a subsequent incident is more likely to result in fatal spine or leg injuries. If you see the crash coming, don’t panic and throw your hands up. An airbag deployment could result in catastrophic injuries to your arms, hands, and possibly face in a game of’stop striking yourself,’ which the airbag will undoubtedly win.
Conduct a quick safety evaluation once the vehicle has come to a complete stop. Check to see if the surroundings is safe. If the vehicle is on fire, the first thing you should do is get out. Remain in the vehicle if your surroundings are safe and your wounds are significant. You should not attempt to escape the vehicle since you may have spinal or head injuries that you are unaware of. This is likewise true if you are on the scene of a car collision. Leave the victim in the car unless it is absolutely necessary to move them; always defer to medical personnel when deciding whether or not to move someone.
4. Acid
Picture: Necessite
For some time, acid attacks have become famous. The attack’s goal is to terribly maim and disfigure as opposed to kill. Whatever caused your acid attack, knowing what to do can not only save your life but also significantly lessen the scarring caused by an attack. If the acid is in powder form, start by rapidly sweeping it off your skin to decrease your exposure. Even if the acid is protected, don’t try to brush it off with your hand or any other body part if it’s in liquid form. This will merely spread the acid, making therapy more difficult and perhaps causing scarring and deformity in the future. Rather, immediately flush water over the injured region and keep doing so until emergency medical assistance arrives.
If the acid has gone into your eyes, rinse them with water right once and keep flushing them until aid arrives. Make sure to pry open your eyes and get some water under them, as the acid can settle there or be driven there by the water. To avoid additional harm to your feet or legs, remove any acid-affected clothing and move away from the puddles created by the water treatment.
Sources: The Infographics Show, First Aid For Life, Virtual Drive, Independent, Life Hacker
