So many times we are called in the aftermath of some terrible tragedy.
Where some unfortunate soul has met a gruesome end, that when the occasion arises to restore a home after a bloody, but survivable accident it can provide a temporary break from the usual reminders of our fragile mortality.
Even though we have taken care of full remediation of large industrial sites in the event of workplace mishaps, the large majority of calls involving traumatic injuries take place right at the home of the victim. From dog bites, to plumbing fails, and even once a man who had been run over by his own lawnmower… if you can imagine it, I’ve probably seen it.
One story that comes to mind has been dubbed, “The Pain of De Feet”…
We had been sent into Spanish moss draped, old world neighborhoods located in and around the coastal jewel of the south, the city of Savannah, Georgia. Large wrought iron gates and low, shell brick walls bordered the cobblestone streets, defining the boundary of each enormous property. The houses had been carefully maintained and seemed to have been picked straight from the pages of a history book, if not for the modern luxuries that gave the homes their contemporary appeal as well. One wasn’t sure whether to expect a horse drawn carriage to make its way down the narrow lane or the sleek carriage of a Porsche.
Once we arrived at our address, I was slightly disappointed to see that we would not be given an opportunity to look inside these monolithic memorials of bygone times, the meticulously restored homes of high society Savannah pre-Civil War… but instead a much newer addition to a detached garage on the property, also known as a “Mother In~Law Suite”.
An agent for the family met us just outside the structure, still beautiful by anyone’s standards, and led us around the back of the garage, through a lush garden complete with a Koi pond, to a private entrance way for the small apartment. The young man explained that the homeowner had built his mother this apartment so that she could live with the family on the estate while maintaining some independence. He had spared no expense on the project, and had carefully modeled the picturesque garden after one that his father had built for his mother shortly after their wedding.
We made our way into the residence, where he stopped in the kitchen to show us where the accident had taken place. Apparently, the homeowner’s mother had been walking through her kitchen the morning before when she had slipped, jamming her foot under the refrigerator with a sickening sound. When she pulled her foot out from the appliance, she was horrified to see that the force of the impact against a sharpened corner underneath had almost completely severed her big toe.
Bleeding and panicked, she stumbled around the little apartment, moving through her bedroom into the attached bathroom as she anxiously called on the phone to the main house for help.
Bloody foot prints made a trail that was easy to follow over the varied flooring in the home, evidence to the chaos that had ensued after the intial accident. Clean up took the better part of two days and involved mostly the removal of a fairly small amount of blood, compared to some of the other blood baths we’ve seen. After a light sanitation, and some carpet steaming, the home was easily restored to the cheery condition it had been in before.
Later we learned that the older victim had to have the toe totally removed, the damage to the vascular structure of her toe was too great. I also learned that a rubber strip had been installed along the bottom of the fridge to prevent future “slip ups” again.
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 Work safe guidelines in our cleanup efforts. We only deploy EPA registered hospital grade cleansers and disinfectants.
If you need trauma or accidental death clean-up guidance, have questions about your payment options or current insurance policy covers don’t hesitate to give Advanced Bio Treatment a call today!
800-295-1684
