injury recovery time

word-spinning · Aug 18, 2013

my MC sustains a severe beating from three men, one of which is armed with a knife, but does not die.
what kind of injuries would likely result from a typical alley-way assault? i've been trying to do my research and i came up with a punctured lung, six broken ribs, and multiple stab wounds. most of the blows were delivered with a steel toed boot. for the stab wounds, a classic six inch combat knife would fit my plot best, but i'm aiming for non fatal injuries. where would be the best location for two or three non-fatal stab wounds? i'm thinking into ribcage/between ribs, and maybe one in the liver. is a six inch combat knife too likely to inflict fatal injuries?

what kind of recovery time would he be looking at? he's young (23), but was not extremely healthy prior to the beating (he's homeless, so he rarely eats well and recently recovered from an lower respiratory tract infection). he gets medical attention immediately (the cops and ambulance are what scares off the attackers).

i know i need a lot of help, so please don't feel like you have to help me with every aspect of this. if you have anything to add regarding injuries or recovery, i would really appreciate the input.

melindamusil · Aug 18, 2013

I think you need to work your way backward a little bit and decide what kind of recovery you WANT your character to have. Do you want him to be unconscious and in critical condition for several days, followed by months of grueling recovery? Or do you want him to walk away with only stitches for a couple of lacerations? I'm not a doctor, but based on my own experiences plus everything I've learned in this forum, you could conceivably have injuries anywhere along that spectrum. Once you figure out what kind of recovery you want, we can help you figure out what kind of injuries would fit best.

Christabelle · Aug 18, 2013

If the only criteria is for him not to die, you could have anything from stitches to life-threatening head/neck injuries. A six-inch knife could puncture almost anything. How long do you need him to be in the hospital? Don't forget about head wounds: broken jaw, fractured eye socket, nose, skull fracture, etc. I could probably go on, but what do YOU want this event to lead to in your character's life?

Chekurtab · Aug 20, 2013

As others said, feel free to inflict any damage that suites your need. Sounds like you want to put your MC through surgery with the penetrating chest and abdominal injuries. The recovery can take weeks depending on the severity of the injuries. You can have him stuck in the hospital even longer if he develops complications. Or you can get him discharged in a day with no major trauma, just skin and soft tissue injuries.

HistoryLvr · Aug 21, 2013

You could always have the knife be somewhat deflected by him so he suffers only a glancing blow. More of a cut than a stab. It would also help to know or establish how good the fighters are that he's up against. Because if they're very trained, they're going to know where to put the knife to make the wounds fatal.

mirandashell · Aug 21, 2013

I think a six inch knife in the liver is going to be fatal, isn't it? Doesn't your liver bleed like a bitch when it's cut?

And all the organs behind your ribs are vital to life.

M J Austwick · Aug 21, 2013

I've seen a guy stabbed in the throat walk into the hospital and walk out the next day. I've seen a guy repeatedly stabbed in the arms and torso walk out of the Resus room because he wanted a cigarette. Though I've also seen a few people brought in dead after single wounds.

So do whatever you want. You're more likely to die fast from a penetrating injury to the chest than the abdomen, but it's not a guarantee. I once looked after a guy who had a crossbow bolt lodged in his right Ventricle (heart). You could see it twitching when his heart beat. He was fine once it had been removed (in a cardio-thoracic theatre I hasten to add).

NeuroFizz · Aug 21, 2013

The issue is not just healing time, but how the injury limits activity during the healing process. The location and severity of injury should take both into account.

mirandashell · Aug 21, 2013

M J Austwick said:
I've seen a guy stabbed in the throat walk into the hospital and walk out the next day. I've seen a guy repeatedly stabbed in the arms and torso walk out of the Resus room because he wanted a cigarette. Though I've also seen a few people brought in dead after single wounds.

So do whatever you want. You're more likely to die fast from a penetrating injury to the chest than the abdomen, but it's not a guarantee. I once looked after a guy who had a crossbow bolt lodged in his right Ventricle (heart). You could see it twitching when his heart beat. He was fine once it had been removed (in a cardio-thoracic theatre I hasten to add).

But there is also the issue of what's believable by your average reader. I have to say that if I read some of the above, I would roll my eyes. I'm not saying they didn't happen but they're not believable to me. In the same way as the guy who fell off a cliff in the Andes and walked for miles on two broken legs. He did that for real. But if I'd read it in book before it happened, I would have put the book down for being too silly.

There are many things in real life that you just can't get away with in fiction.

ArtsyAmy · Aug 22, 2013

My first thought while reading your post was that he might get defensive knife wounds to his arms. I can picture a guy using his arms to try to block his face and the front of his torso. He might also suffer arm wounds by trying to grab the knife. If he gets knocked down, I imagine he might try to kick to defend himself and might sustain knife wounds to his legs. Or (after getting knocked down) he might turn so he's facing the ground, or lie in a ball on his side, and try to cover his head with his arms. Or maybe he wouldn't get knocked down; one of the guys could grab the victim's arms from behind and hold onto him while the other two punch, stab and kick the victim's front side. Speaking of the front side, does that unspoken guy rule apply in alley fights, or does "anything" go? I suppose that might be another option for an injury location.

Reziac · Aug 24, 2013

This video is about gunshot injuries but covers some of the desired territory:

WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC. NSFW (or play for that matter).

9mm vs .45 vs Rifle A Dr's View of Gunshot Wounds (graphic photos)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tku8YI68-JA

He talks a lot about what is or isn't fatal. Includes footage of a guy being shot twice with a 9mm and barely noticing it.

word-spinning · Sep 1, 2013

wow, should have subscribed to this thread. took me ages to get back to it; sorry about that. thanks for your input. i agree that i probably need to decide exactly how long to make his recovery time and then pick out injuries. but much of your input was really valuable, so thank you!

Reziac · Sep 1, 2013

NeuroFizz said:
The issue is not just healing time, but how the injury limits activity during the healing process. The location and severity of injury should take both into account.

Also, how much disability you want him to have afterward.

Frex: When I cut up my longsuffering MC, he spent almost two years in rehab and wasn't real good for another several years after (both serving to drive his actions). Most of that eventually healed enough to go away, but he's got the bum knee for life.

injury recovery time

word-spinning

melindamusil

practical experience, FTW

Christabelle

Chekurtab

Smart donkey. Please don't call me-

HistoryLvr

Add Salt to Taste

mirandashell

M J Austwick

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it

mirandashell

ArtsyAmy

Reziac

Resident Alien

word-spinning

Reziac

Resident Alien