⋅Bloody Scenes: Always Dangerous, Not Always Sad⋅
Not all bloody scenes are horrible harbingers of the grim reaper. Some bloody scenes are calls for celebration.
However, all bloody scenes are dangerous, regardless of the circumstance of the blood. How the blood got there has little to do with its inherent dangers. Why? Because blood is a biological material that can carry deadly blood-borne pathogens like HIV and Hepatitis, both of which are incurable. Hepatitis B and C can live up to a week in blood outside the body, meaning that blood can be a serious threat at any bloody scene. Federal regulations state that all blood and bodily fluids are considered bio-hazards. One tiny spot of blood can be as deadly as a whole pool of blood. For this reason, it is important to make sure every bit of blood is thoroughly cleaned and that the area where it was present is decontaminated to remove any bacteria. For more information on the deadly diseases caused by blood-borne pathogens, see our blog entitled The Dangers of Blood-Borne Pathogens Explained.
The Story
One of our clients who owns a modest, two-bedroom condominium in East Palo Alto, a suburb of San Francisco, and shares it with a young immigrant couple called us to clean up quite a bloody scene. This call was significant to us because it was not like most of our calls, which involve a great deal of stress and unhappiness for our client because there has usually been a grisly murder, unattended death, or accident. This call was different.
The couple sharing the condominium with our client had emigrated here from Mexico and were working hard to start their own business.
They had lost their first child, who was only three, to a violent accident in Mexico.
They had miscarried their second child right after moving to the United States two years earlier. Their third child was born two days earlier right here in this condominium. Mrs. Santiago went into labor so quickly that they knew they would not have time to drive to the hospital, so the father-to-be called 911.
But their son came quickly, before the paramedics got there. And he wasn’t breathing, and neither parent knew infant CPR.
The paramedics arrived within 5 minutes of the call and went to work immediately as the devastated parents looked on, facing the death of a third child.
Finally, the tiny boy took a breath, but his fate was uncertain because of the length of time he had been without oxygen.
Both mother and child were loaded into the ambulance and rushed to the hospital as Mr. Santiago followed in their car.
The next day, Mr. Santiago called our client to apologize for the mess in the condominium where his wife had given birth and promised to clean everything himself as soon as his wife and child were stable enough for him to return to the condominium.
Our client took a look around and decided that since blood had soaked all the way through the living room rug and was also all over the bed linens and bedroom floor, he probably should not tackle the job himself.
His roommates were also his friends. He had known them since they were children in Mexico and had helped them come to the United States. He told us his heart broke for them because of the tragedies and struggles they had experienced, and he did not want them to have to come home with a new baby to this mess and to so much work and expense.
He wanted to make it as easy for them as he could, especially if their new baby did not survive.
He did not want them to have to return to these reminders.
The Cleanup
We responded to the call the same day. We packaged the blood-soaked linens in bio-hazard containers and safely removed them. Luckily, the mattress itself was not damaged because it was covered with a water-proof liner. The carpet, however, had to be replaced in both the bedroom and living room because the blood had soaked right through the pad. We were able to cut away and safely dispose of the soiled portions, which saved our client a great deal of money. We also advised our client to call his insurance company, which, it turns out, covered almost the entire cost of the cleanup.
A Rewarding Outcome
When we finished a few hours later, the condominium was clean and disinfected and ready for the carpet repair.
Just as we were completing the job, our client got the call he had been nervously awaiting: the Santiagos were coming home the next day – with a healthy baby boy.
It was a rewarding experience to be part of creating a clean, safe environment for them to return to.
To learn more about the services provided by Advanced Bio Treatment, please call us at 800-295-1684 or visit our Web site http://www.advancedbio-treatment.com
