How to Treat Acid Attack Burns

It seems like very few weeks, or days, go by now without an acid attack story hitting the headlines. Whether this is because the attacks are on the increase or because they are being reported more (or a combination of the two) is difficult to tell.

However, what cannot be denied is that the thought of having acid thrown at you can be a very terrifying prospect. The NHS certainly seems to think acid attacks are an increasing problem. So much so that the NHS has released guidance on what to do in the event of an attack.

The advice can be summarised as follows:

• Report the attack by dialling 999.
• Remove any contaminated clothing (being careful not to spread the acid around or pull off any skin).
• Rinse skin immediately with clean water (running water washes the acid away from the affected areas of skin).

More information can be found at the NHS website on help for acid attack victims here.

Hopefully, the NHS guidance should help lessen the physical effects of an acid attack such as pain and scarring. However, after the immediate pain and terror of an attack subsides, other symptoms may begin to appear. I am of course, referring to psychological injuries.

These can have a long-lasting effect on the victim and are not always immediately obvious to others. The psychological harm can, arguably, be more debilitating than the physical injures.

There could be nightmares, flashbacks, general anxiety, unwillingness to pass the scene of the incident, etc to to name but a few. This is not uncommon.

After the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the NHS published guidance on obtaining help for psychological injuries after traumatic events. That advice can also be helpful to the victims of criminal injury. More information, you can visit the NHS’s help and support page here. 

The Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme awards compensation for several types of injuries which include burns, scarring and psychological injuries, all of which can be caused by acid attacks. To find out more, visit our Criminal Injury page, here, to find out if you could have a claim for similar Criminal Injury cases.

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