Puncture wounds and infection

At the time of injury, a puncture wound may not appear to be as bad as a surface wound. It’s a smaller hole, rather than a gash, and it may not bleed as much. Maybe you stepped on a nail on a commercial property or got involved in a car accident or got bitten by a dog. No matter how it happened, it’s important to take these wounds very seriously.

The issue is that puncture wounds go deep below the surface of the skin, into muscle and other tissue, and the item that caused the wound can press bacteria far into that wound.

This massively increases the odds of an infection. A surface wound is much easier to clean. When bacteria become trapped — especially when a puncture wound is not allowed to bleed very much — it can lead to serious complications that are worse than the initial injury.

How do you know if the site got infected? Signs may include:

• Swelling
• Redness
• Watery discharge
• Pus
• Increased pain

When an infection progresses far enough, it can even lead to a fever or general illness. Your body does what it can to fight the infection, but it can spread and worsen without proper treatment.

As you can imagine, a situation like this can lead to far higher medical bills than you ever assumed you would have at the time of the injury. You may miss time at work, experience pain and suffering, or even experience life-threatening symptoms. When this happens, you should know what legal options you have.