Blood removal is a big part of my job.
From some of the goriest murders, to terrifying industrial accidents and shotgun suicides, I have seen an unbelievable about of the sticky, red stuff. So much so, that I can still smell the sweet, coppery scent of it even after many jobs have been completed.
It’s always important that after the call to 911, and after the police have left the scene, that the very next call you place is to Advanced Biotreatment. We are specialists at picking up the pieces after a tragedy… even when things will never ever be the same.
Blood can contain many pathogens which can be a significant risk to one’s health. Diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis can live for a period of time in the blood once its outside of the body. That is why it is so important that trained professionals like those at ABT be called in to thoroughly clean and sanitize any crime or accident scene.
Some of the toughest jobs to handle can be those involving high powered firearms and the aftermath they cause when they are used to take a life. When the life that is taken is cut short by the victim’s own hand, it is doubly difficult because the pain and confusion felt by the family left behind is palpable.
In terms of clean up, nothing is more challenging than a shotgun suicide.
Recently we were hired by a family member of a suicide victim to restore a home in the wake of the tragic event.
The home was a located in a working class neighborhood in an older suburb outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. It was a dreadfully hot day, and most of the inhabitants of the other homes were gathered on porch swings with large glasses of tea, lemonade and the occasional bottle of beer. From the driveway of the home, I could see their curious expressions as we began to gear up waiting for our client to arrive at the property. I wasn’t sure if they were ignorant to the horror that had taken place inside, or if they were looky lous trying to catch a peep at something taboo. Either way, I knew that they would probably get their wish.
The homeowner’s relative, a middle aged man, finally arrived and let us into the house. We were led to a small sun room just off of the kitchen where the deed had supposedly taken place. Once I was standing inside the doorway to the space, I was aghast at the ungodly amount of blood that bathed the room in deep crimson. It literally looked like someone had taken buckets and buckets of red corn syrup and dumped it in the center of the room.
Looking up I saw pieces of the victim’s brain and skull and scalp dangling from a ceiling fan and the popcorned ceiling itself. It was unreal.
As it turns out, the family member told us that the victim had been an avid hunter and knew his way around a firearm. Unfortunately he had suffered from extreme depression for most of his life, and after another medication failed to relieve his symptoms, he had chosen to cut his life short. According to the loved one, he had struggled maintaining employment and felt like he had become a burden to his family. Waiting for a day he knew he would be alone, he wrote his farewell letters, then drank a bottle of Jack and then put his shotgun against his forehead. The shot alerted his neighbors, who called the police. He was pronounced dead at the scene. And I could see why… he must have blown the entire top of his head off.
The clean up was a methodical, meticulous process. Every inch of the room at to be cleaned, and recleaned. We used special lighting to make sure that we hadn’t missed even the smallest speck of plasma before we were satisfied that we had gotten it all. Then the entire space had to be completely decontaminated to ensure the safety of future residents. In the course of the job we learned that the home would be put up for sale to benefit a child that had been left behind.
And the neighbors got their show… I was covered in blood as was my gear and all the biohazardous waste we removed had to be carefully packaged for proper disposal. Its safe to say that the next owners of the home will more than likely get an earful from the rest of the community. God help them if they have kids.
You don’t want to try and attempt to clean up a crime scene or accident scene. Blood and other bodily fluids can contain dangerous pathogens which pose a significant risk to human health. Our scene clean up technicians will decontaminate and remove any blood, tissue or bodily fluids a crime and trauma scene has left behind. Advanced Bio Treatment is a professional scene cleaning company.
Regardless of whether the scene is at your home and personal property, a commercial business, or industrial site, we’ll strictly adhere to OSHA regulations and API Worksafe guidelines in our cleanup efforts. We only deploy EPA registered hospital grade cleansers and disinfectants.
