The world's a tough place, and sooner or later
you're going to get hurt. Today, we're going to look at how to survive
the most common injuries you may suffer in your life. 4. Stabbing Getting stabbed sucks- we know, because we
asked our resident challenge expert about his run-in with the wrong end of a sharp knife,
and we'll let him explain: I was overseas, door-to-door stuff. Went through a door at the exact same time
as a bad guy coming out, we both surprised each other and as we ran into each other we
both dropped our rifles. I went for my side arm, he went for his knife. I was just a second slower on the draw than
him because of my body armor and the way I landed, and he pounced and slid a short knife
into my side straight into my armpit. So what's the best way to survive being stabbed,
whether on purpose or on accident? First, the best way to survive being stabbed
is to not get stabbed. If someone pulls a knife on you, it's time
to turn heels and elbows in the opposite direction. Don't try to be a hero or a Billy Badass,
and just book it. But what if there's nowhere to run? In that case, remember the 5 Ds of Dodgeball:
Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge. But alright, you forgot the 5 Ds of dodgeball
and you couldn't run away, how are you going to survive a stabbing? First, if you're able to, try to direct the
stab into somewhere favorable. The human body is basically entirely a no-stab
zone, but if you must, there's better places to direct an incoming stab than others. Places to avoid include your flanks, which
will allow a knife to penetrate deeply and pierce one or more organs. A stab in the upper flank is especially dangerous,
and our lab rat is lucky that the incoming stab was in a generally upwards direction
that completely missed his lungs. Lungs are extremely allergic to being stabbed,
but a stab into the lungs has two-fold dangers. First, you'll compromise the lung's ability
to remain inflated and do its job, meaning you've seriously compromised your ability
to breathe. Secondly, a punctured lung can fill with blood,
leading to disastrous secondary effects to your health like a rapid death, or a slow,
gurgling death as you choke to death on your own blood while asphyxiating. So where do you want to take a stab? If you're able to, put up your forearms to
block or deflect the incoming blow. Even if the knife slips past your guard, you'll
take a lot of the kinetic energy out of the attack, limiting the penetrating power of
the stab. You'll probably get your forearms slashed
to ribbons, but better that then taking a knife through the ribs. By the way, prepare for some intense pain
if the knife manages to ram straight into your forearm bones. A less ideal, but more survivable location
to take a stab is in the stomach. Stomach injuries are excruciatingly painful,
but very survivable if you can get medical attention within 30 minutes to an hour. The recovery process will be extremely long,
and you run the risk of serious internal infection if your stomach is ruptured and the contents
spill out inside you. After you've been stabbed, whether on purpose
or by accident, the next important thing is to administer first aid as quickly as possible. If the impaling object is still sticking inside
you, resist the urge to go all Rambo and rip it out. Instead, leave the object inside you and wrap
a bandage around it, pressing firmly to stop or slow the bleeding. Pulling out the impaling object will open
the wound up- as long as it's inside you it's basically sealing the wound. If you've been stabbed or impaled in the chest,
the most important thing is to seal the wound as quickly as possible. That's because if air gets into your chest
cavity, it can fill up the chest cavity and put pressure on the lung, which prevents it
from expanding fully. This is known as a collapsed lung, and will
lead to asphyxiation. A good way to treat a sucking chest wound
is to use a piece of plastic directly on the hole, and then press firmly using gauze, or
a dish rag, or a piece of torn t-shirt- whatever is handy to staunch the bleeding. 3. Getting Shot Maybe you're hanging out at a shooting range,
or an American public school, and suddenly it happens- you get plugged. How are you going to survive getting shot? First, it's important to assess the situation
and get yourself to safety. Is whoever shot you still shooting at you
or at the general area? Ask them politely to stop. If they refuse, get to safety. No point surviving your first gunshot wound
only to have to deal with an immediate second. Next, it's time to apply some immediate first
aid, because unlike a stabbing, a gunshot wound is typically exponentially more destructive
to your internals. That's thanks to the massive shock and expansion
your body experiences as a round penetrates, which can result in the creation of a brief
internal cavity which your organs 'snap' back into. You're going to be experiencing major blood
loss, which if you don't take immediate steps to address will have you unconscious in as
little as 30 seconds, and dead in 60. So no matter how much bleeding there is or
isn't, always treat a gunshot wound as if you'll be unconscious and helpless in 30 seconds-
which means move fast. If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, immediately
forget everything you saw in movies about digging the bullet out. First of all, it's in no way immediately important
to remove a bullet. Second, the bullet will likely have fragmented
into dozens of tiny pieces requiring delicate surgery to find and extract. Third, sticking a knife inside you to dig
out a bullet is a good way to compliment a bullet wound with a stab wound. The first thing you'll want to do is to stop
or slow the bleeding. Immediately apply pressure to the wound with
your hands, while you- or a buddy- tries to find more suitable bandaging material. Once more, improvisation is key- a torn t-shirt,
wad of paper towels, your annoying friend's screenplay they won't shut up about... the
only thing that matters is that the material is absorbent enough to take in some of the
blood and seal the wound tightly. Ideally you'll want to use clean material,
but a dirty dishrag lying in an alley will do in a pinch. You can deal with a blood infection after
you've stopped littering the streets with said blood. Now, maintain pressure- and whatever you do,
do not change the bandaging until a doctor or EMT does it for you. Even if you used a filthy rag and later find
something much cleaner and are worried about infection- ripping off the bandaging will
tear loose the blood clot that's hopefully forming to help keep your kool-aid on the
inside. Now that you've got your immediate wound taken
care of, check for an exit wound. Odds are when you get shot your body is going
to respond with adrenaline, steroids, and a whole lot of natural painkillers. Given enough blood loss and a state of mental
shock, you might not even feel any pain. Many soldiers have died after having one wound
treated, only to ignore the second wound they didn't even realize they had. That's right, the brain is a tricky thing,
and if one wound is readily apparent but the second isn't, it can completely shut off the
pain signal from the second wound as it struggles to deal with the shock of the first. Plug your exit wound the same you would the
entry wound, then make a move for safety or help. If help is already on its way, it's time to
conduct a more thorough assessment. Carefully inspect the rest of your body for
additional gunshot wounds or secondary wounds, and treat each accordingly. We hope you're never in this situation, but
we cannot stress enough how important this step is. If you've been shot in an extremity, elevate
the wound while you wait for help. Unless the wound is on your torso or your
head, you also want to keep your head at the lowest possible elevation. This will ensure that gravity helps blood
flow into your brain and keep you conscious and alive. 2. Car Crash Given the frequency of auto accidents, it's
bound to happen. Sooner or later you're going to be in a car
crash, hopefully it'll be of a less severe nature. First, wear a seat belt. Seriously, it's 2021 and we can't believe
we still have to tell people to do this. Wearing a seat belt can reduce your chances
of a fatal injury by 45%, and of a moderate to critical injury by 50%. Seat belts are even more useful in trucks,
where they reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60% and moderate to critical injury by
65%. It's not enough to just wear a seat belt though,
you have to wear it properly. The upper part that crosses your chest can
be uncomfortable on long car rides, or maybe it puts a total crimp in your style- but not
wearing it can be just as bad as not wearing a seat belt at all. Even worse, wearing the lap band only can
lead to very serious pelvic injuries, especially for men who happen to like having a fully
functional reproductive system. Next, you want to sit as upright as possible
in your seat. Kicking your feet up on the dash is a great
way to not only lose your feet, but have your knees smash through your face and turn your
brain to pudding. If you're in the front seats, the deploying
airbag can cause serious injuries to your legs, and put you in a position that the subsequent
crash will have a greater chance of catastrophic spine or leg injuries. Next, if you see the crash coming, avoid throwing
your hands up in panic. The deploying airbags could cause serious
injuries to your arms, hands, and even face in a game of 'stop hitting yourself' that
the airbag will definitely win. The best thing to do instead is to keep your
body as loose as possible, instead of tensing up in anticipation of the crash. You've probably heard of newborn babies surviving
incredible falls or car crashes with relatively few injuries. A big factor in their survival is the fact
that babies remain loose, allowing their body to better absorb and redistribute the incoming
kinetic energy. Once the vehicle has come to a stop, conduct
an immediate safety assessment. Even before you start tending to your or your
passenger's wounds, you want to check the environment to see if it's safe. If the vehicle is on fire, or if you've landed
in a ditch that's quickly filling with water, your first priority is to get yourself to
safety. No point treating wounds if you're just going
to burn to death or drown. If your environment is safe, and your wounds
are serious, remain in the vehicle. Don't try to exit the vehicle as you could
have spinal or head injuries you aren't aware of. It's generally best to remain in the vehicle
until emergency services personnel extract you themselves. Only leave the vehicle if necessary for safety's
sake, or to treat a life-threatening injury with first aid. This also applies if you find yourself at
the scene of a car accident. Leave the victim in the vehicle unless absolutely
necessary to move them- always allow medical personnel to make the decision to move an
individual. If you come across a car accident victim that
has been ejected from the vehicle, the same rule applies- move them only if there's a
safety risk. If possible, treat any life-threatening injuries
without moving them, as once more you could make a spine or head injury exponentially
worse by moving the victim. 1. Acid For the last decade there's been a persistent
trend in men attacking women with acid, with the goal of splashing it on their faces. The aim of the attack isn't so much to kill,
as it is to horribly maim and disfigure. Whatever the cause of your run-in with acid
is, knowing what to do can not only save your life, but seriously reduce the scarring of
an attack. If the acid is in powder form, first try to
reduce your exposure by vigorously brushing it off your skin. You can ideally do this with a shirt sleeve
or a gloved hand, but vigorously brushing it off with a bare hand will not leave much
time for the acid to work on your flesh. If the acid is in liquid form, don't attempt
to brush it off with your hand or any other body part, even if it's protected. This will only spread the acid around, making
treatment much more difficult and potentially increasing future scarring and disfigurement. Instead, immediately flush water over the
affected area, and continue doing so until emergency medical services arrive. Water will help dilute the acid, and if applied
quickly enough can help prevent permanent disfigurement. If water isn't available, use any other liquid
on-hand. Milk is also ideal, as it'll help neutralize
the acid, as well as products with high concentration of water such as beer. The key is to pour as much liquid as possible
for as long as possible, diluting and washing away the acid. If the acid has gotten into the eyes, immediately
flush them with water and continue flushing them with water until help arrives. Make sure to pry open the eyelids and get
water under the eyelids, as the acid can come to rest there or be pushed there by the water. Next, remove any clothing affected by the
acid, and move from under the puddles formed by the water treatment to prevent secondary
injury to your feet or legs. Now keep your survival skills sharp by checking
out What you should do to survive in the wilderness, or click this other video instead!
