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- Mar 19, 2017
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Hello everyone,
I need help regarding a scene that I'm writing. I have done some research about the procedure to treat sexual assault victims but I'm a little confused.
In my story, the victim wasn't raped - no penetration - but the assailant leaves her injured and in unconscious state. She wakes up sometime later to find herself locked in a dark room which leads to psychological trauma for she has an acute of nyctophobia due to childhood abuse - she gets severe panic attacks. She's found an hour or so later by her husband and passes out again and is brought to the hospital in an ambulance in unconscious state. Her injuries include a concussion, dislocated shoulder, bruised/broken ribs as well as several glass incision wounds, some serious enough to require stitches. She's also lost blood - enough to require a transfusion.
How would a case like hers be treated? Will the forensic exam and medical treatment of her other injuries happen together? Which will be given priority? And what about consent? Since she's unconscious, can her husband provide consent for her forensic exam? Are her injuries serious enough to warrant that or will the docs wait for her to gain consciousness? I'm assuming here that since she's lost consciousness twice, the doctors are going to want to keep her in overnight. Is that right?
And assuming that after she's regained consciousness, she wants to press charges and file a complaint, how will that process take place? Can the police interview her separately at her home, after she's discharged that is? Or does that interview need to happen in the presence of SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner)?
As you can see I have a lot of questions and I would be really great full for any help that any one of you can offer me. I don't need every technical detail but just enough to make the scene look as real as possible.
Thank you.
I need help regarding a scene that I'm writing. I have done some research about the procedure to treat sexual assault victims but I'm a little confused.
In my story, the victim wasn't raped - no penetration - but the assailant leaves her injured and in unconscious state. She wakes up sometime later to find herself locked in a dark room which leads to psychological trauma for she has an acute of nyctophobia due to childhood abuse - she gets severe panic attacks. She's found an hour or so later by her husband and passes out again and is brought to the hospital in an ambulance in unconscious state. Her injuries include a concussion, dislocated shoulder, bruised/broken ribs as well as several glass incision wounds, some serious enough to require stitches. She's also lost blood - enough to require a transfusion.
How would a case like hers be treated? Will the forensic exam and medical treatment of her other injuries happen together? Which will be given priority? And what about consent? Since she's unconscious, can her husband provide consent for her forensic exam? Are her injuries serious enough to warrant that or will the docs wait for her to gain consciousness? I'm assuming here that since she's lost consciousness twice, the doctors are going to want to keep her in overnight. Is that right?
And assuming that after she's regained consciousness, she wants to press charges and file a complaint, how will that process take place? Can the police interview her separately at her home, after she's discharged that is? Or does that interview need to happen in the presence of SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner)?
As you can see I have a lot of questions and I would be really great full for any help that any one of you can offer me. I don't need every technical detail but just enough to make the scene look as real as possible.
Thank you.