Doctor, about young people mutilated after taking selfies on trains

Doctor Raluca Alexandru, spokesperson for the Grigore Alexandrescu Children’s Clinical Hospital in the capital draws attention to the increasing number of cases of children and adolescents electrocuted on train carriages.

The last case of this kind is that of a 12-year-old child from Prahova who has burns on 80% of his body surface after climbing on a cargo wagon on September 7.

The doctors then performed a first intervention, consisting of decompression incisions, and on September 12 grafting interventions. His condition remains serious.

The doctor once again sounds the alarm about children and young people who thus expose themselves to a major danger, with such cases frequently arriving at the health unit. It is a double mechanism, the doctor explains, both by electrocution and by electric flame, the burns reaching the deep layers of the skin.

“It’s something very serious that can be avoided”

“The child is in an extremely serious condition, he has burns on 80% of the body surface, he was intubated, mechanically ventilated, later we managed to perform the grafting surgery, on September 12 the first grafting operation took place, that is, the skin is replaced which is burned, with healthy skin, as much as possible, his resources are limited, at 80% of the body surface the risk of death is quite high.

The burns are extremely serious, the production is double, both by the electric arc, so by electrocution, and by the electric flame, so the clothes practically catch fire, so also by the flame, it is a double mechanism.

In the case of those who get on the train, a burn occurs at a very high voltage, an electrocution at 34,000 volts, sometimes it results directly in death at the scene, it rarely happens that the patients live and reach the hospital, in the end they are very serious burns that require long-term treatment, at least two months of hospitalization, if there are no complications, of course life is different afterwards, I remain with signs for life, after that even another year, two years is sustained work on his part and the family for recovery.

Unfortunately, every year we are faced with a number of patients, which may be around 10 patients per year who come to us with such burns, it is sad because such an event can be easily avoided, there is no need to get on the train, we don’t need to get on the train cars whether they are on a dead line or not, there is a very high voltage above, we don’t need to touch the power lines, be near them because it will produces an electric arc that will produce this misfortune.

It is something very serious that can be avoided. There are countless cases. We had two, now we have three more, every month, every two months there is almost a case. The population should be aware of this”, explained the doctor for News.ro.

“They simply remain maimed for life, it’s a shame”

The doctor reports that these serious cases arrive on the operating table with very deep burns, charred skin and necrotic areas. Recovery after the acute period is long and complex, and families are advised by a psychologist.

“Very deep burns, the skin is simply charred, it reaches the deep layers sometimes, if there is a place where it entered, if somehow there was an electrocution in which he also had something in his hand and the electric current entered him, it’s right there a necrosis, it reaches the very deep layers.

They are simply mutilated for life, it’s a shame. We always drew attention, we tried to do press campaigns, and those from the CFR have done such campaigns before, this phenomenon should stop, they go up to take a selfie, because from up there see more beautiful.

After he is discharged, the recovery time is 1 year, 2 years, supported daily, in which both he and the family must be involved for recovery as much as possible to be functional, as much as possible to return to normal life”, he said Dr. Raluca Alexandru.