Injuries from an explosion

Who set the bomb, and what did they want to achieve with it?

I ask, because that will determine the nature of the device.

Is it a home made 'pipe bomb'?
Something cooked up by kids off the internet?
Is it designed by trained military people, or terrorists, with access to sophisticated plastic explosives and timers?
Is it designed to cause a fire?
Is it designed for mass casualties?
What is the nature of the structure?
Where is the bomb placed in it?

That information, will go a long way in helping people decide what the bomb should be made of, how it will be detonated, what effect it will have on the structure and bystanders, where she needs to be to A) be injured B) Not killed.

If it's an explosive device intended to cause injury (has shrapnel), then about any type of injury/wound you can dream of is possible. Broken bones, internal injuries, pneumothorax, amputated limbs, blown out teeth, shredded tissue, hunks of tissue missing, blown out pieces of bones, blown out eyes, concussions, burns, etc.

If you believe CSI (lol), the most popular device for triggering bombs is a cell phone, and it would be easy enough to buy a prepaid phone.

What is the goal of the bomb? Like WriteKnight said, the purpose would affect what kind of bomb they make. Is it to injure as many people as possible? Is it to injure whoever happens to step on it, like a land mine? Is it to bring down a building, demolition-style?

The image that jumped into my mind when you said he survives a bomb is of a guy who is protected from the worst of the blast by something (or someone?) between him and the bomb, like a vertical support column. You could easily still have him fall over backwards from the concussive force and break something, or perhaps his torso is protected but he has one leg sticking out.

As to injuries - I gather that you want something that's serious at the time, but that the victim can recover from without significant long term effects? How about a ruptured spleen? Easy enough to get if the force of the blast throws your character into something - or if something fairly heavy hits them in the right place.

Well...new year's party...so character is inside? That usually worsens matters...there are primary, secondary, and tertiary effects and impacts...collapsed lungsuptured eardrums are typical features... Burns....blunt and penetrating trauma from being thrown, or from things thrown...

If the explosion threw your character, he'll have fractured - if not broken - some bones when the shockwave hit him; getting flung by explosions is not as harmless as Hollywood believes. If he gets thrown into something, that might injure him further, especially if the thing in question has an edge or a point. Broken glass and shrapnel are also good options for injuries requiring surgery that are not necessarily life-threatening.

Indoor blasts tend to result in burns, asphyxiation (from smoke) and hearing loss that is often permanent. I've known several people who've had nearby explosions go off with no ear protection, and they all had hearing loss.

Other than that, pretty much what everyone else said.

valerielynn said:

One other thing I was wandering is there usually a fire that follows an explosion? I just want to be accurate as possible.

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Fires are not a product of an explosion, but you can have one if your story needs it. Explosions are used to put out fires in fact.

Jeff

Most TV and movie bombs are made to look pretty. Real bombs are made to do work. If you see fire, that's wasted propellent. YouTube the Boston bombings, sudden clouds of smoke.

edit: Bombs can be made to start fires, but it must be intended as it requires adding extra materials.

Now as to your request, MC is lucky to be alive because others standing around him/her aren't. Injuries can be from shrapnel. It's not uncommon for bomb builders to wrap their bombs in nails or wood screws for shrapnel effects, but nearby objects can also become shrapnel. Removing this requires surgery.

Going after a family means a sizable bomb. Going after a sitting Senator means Secret Service protection. They will do a physical sweep of the site before the Senator arrives, especially if there have been bomb threats, so the bomb can't be obvious. How skilled is the bomber supposed to be?

NeuroGlide said:

Going after a sitting Senator means Secret Service protection. They will do a physical sweep of the site before the Senator arrives, especially if there have been bomb threats, so the bomb can't be obvious.

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FYI - Generally speaking Members of Congress don't get US Secret Service (USSS) protection. If a security detail is warranted, it is typically orchestrated and manned by US Capitol Police.

There are exceptions; e.g., when a Member of Congress is a candidate for the office of President, or when extenuating circumstances prompt the President to order/request the USSS involvement (and the Member accepts).

ironmikezero said:

FYI - Generally speaking Members of Congress don't get US Secret Service (USSS) protection. If a security detail is warranted, it is typically orchestrated and manned by US Capitol Police.

There are exceptions; e.g., when a Member of Congress is a candidate for the office of President, or when extenuating circumstances prompt the President to order/request the USSS involvement (and the Member accepts).

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True. I've never met with a member of Congress who had a security detail, at least not when they are on the road meeting with constituents.

ironmikezero said:

There are exceptions; e.g., when a Member of Congress is a candidate for the office of President, or when extenuating circumstances prompt the President to order/request the USSS involvement (and the Member accepts).

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You're right, I was going off of Hillary Clinton, but she gets it as the wife of a former President, not as a Congresswoman. We also don't know the setting, so it may not be Capitol Police either. It would probably be private security if anything (coordinated with city & state police and/or county sheriff, for traffic control), so it might still be Secret Service, if retired. Regardless, they would take the responsibility seriously, especially if there were a previous threat.

edit: It just occurred to me, I was assuming that this is a public event because of the word party. If this just a family event, security might just be their home alarm.