Traumatic injuries can kill an injured victim in many ways. Cardiac arrest, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and shock can cause a person’s body to shut down, setting off the death process.
The cause of death is a critical issue in many Georgia wrongful death cases. If your loved one bled to death due to someone else’s actions in Atlanta, GA, Malone Law can help you with a legal claim. Our Atlanta exsanguination lawyers will gather evidence to link the at-fault party’s negligent or wrongful conduct to your loved one’s cause of death.
Contact our law office at (770) 390-7550 for a free initial consultation with a compassionate attorney.
How Malone Law Can Help With an Exsanguination Case in Atlanta, GA
Malone Law has carried on a tradition of excellence since opening its doors in 1965. Our attorneys have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in financial compensation for the firm’s injured clients.
If you lost a loved one due to an accident or other traumatic incident, our Atlanta wrongful death lawyers can provide:
- A free consultation to discuss your case and explain your rights
- A thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding your loved one’s death
- Experienced negotiators who will fight for a fair settlement
- Litigators with a track record of success to take your case to court
Following your loved one’s death in Atlanta, Georgia, you may need to seek justice and financial compensation to feel closure. Contact our Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers to discuss your loved one’s death and how you can pursue compensation for your loss.
Is Exsanguination a Common Cause of Death?
The top causes of death in the U.S. come from medical conditions like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and respiratory disease. Preventable injuries were the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2021, killing almost 225,000 Americans.
When you look at preventable injuries, poisoning, auto accidents, and falls are leading causes of death. But these accidents do not always kill in the same way.
Studies into how traumatic injuries affect patients show that TBIs kill more accident victims than any other cause. Up to 45% of fatalities from trauma occurred due to brain damage. Exsanguination causes 23% of traumatic deaths, making it the second leading cause of death from trauma.
But a deeper dive into these causes of death illustrates how these fatal injuries happen.
Exsanguination is the predominant form of death when the victim:
- Suffers penetrating trauma
- Dies at the accident scene
- Dies soon after arriving at the hospital
In addition to its role as a leading cause of death, blood loss can also contribute to the cause of death. For example, severe bleeding causes blood pressure to drop, leading to a condition called shock. Shock can kill even if EMTs manage to stop the bleeding. Thus, bleeding did not necessarily “cause” the death, but blood loss created the conditions for the death.
Causes and Effects of Exsanguination
Exsanguination, by definition, causes death. If someone survives blood loss, you would refer to it as bleeding or hemorrhaging rather than exsanguination. To understand how someone can bleed to death, you must first understand the circulatory system.
Every cell in your body uses oxygen for cell metabolism. This process consumes the oxygen molecule and produces a carbon dioxide molecule. The circulatory system supplies oxygen to your cells and carries away carbon dioxide.
Specifically, your circulatory system includes two types of blood vessels. Arteries carry oxygenated blood from your heart and lungs to your body. Your red blood cells deliver oxygen to your body cells and pick up carbon dioxide waste.
Veins carry oxygen-depleted blood cells from the body back to the heart and lungs. There, the heart and lungs work together to oxygenate the blood cells and repeat the cycle.
Causes of Exsanguination
Exsanguination typically happens when an artery ruptures. The arterial side of your system has greater pressure. When an artery ruptures, the pressure can quickly cause massive blood loss. Additionally, since arteries carry oxygenated blood, arterial bleeding immediately deprives your tissues, particularly your brain and heart, of oxygen.
Veins can cause exsanguination, but this occurs much less often. The pressure in the venous side of your circulatory system is much lower. It also carries oxygen-depleted blood, so the effects on your tissues occur more slowly.
Exsanguination can occur internally or externally. External exsanguination typically happens due to lacerations or puncture wounds that pierce an artery. Internal exsanguination can result from penetrating injuries, such as surgical errors. They can also occur without a penetrating injury when powerful forces tear blood vessels deep in your abdomen, chest, or skull.
Effects of Hemorrhaging
Exsanguination happens when you lose 40% to 50% of your blood volume. But shock can set in after 20% blood loss, and loss of consciousness occurs at 30% to 40% blood loss.
Severe blood loss can lead to death in many ways, including:
- Shock
- Brain damage
- Arrhythmia
- Organ failure
- Tissue death
- Hypothermia
Death from severe bleeding typically begins with shock since it occurs before many of the other effects of hemorrhaging. But death usually happens when all these effects accumulate.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Atlanta Wrongful Death Attorneys To Discuss Your Exsanguination Claim
Exsanguination can result from many types of trauma caused by someone else’s actions. Contact Malone Law to discuss your loved one’s death due to exsanguination and how you can pursue compensation for your loss. Our Atlanta exsanguination attorneys offer a free case evaluation.