Accidents

One case has been reported where a blood spillage during a road accident was the source of infection. During the accident the person received multiple wounds and was covered with the blood of similarly injured and bleeding passengers.¹ In another case following a road accident, transmission may have occurred when a wounded woman gave first aid to a child who was bleeding profusely.² 

In another case a railway employee helped to remove two heavily bloodied bodies from a railway track, on two separate occasions. The report states that he often had minor injuries on his hands, and wore inadequate gloves for the first accident and none for the second. He had symptoms consistent with seroconversion three months after the first accident, and one month after the second. However there is no certainty that either body was of a person with HIV.²

The Health and Safety Executive states that after car accidents, there can be a risk of infection from contaminated wreckage. Sharp metal and broken glass could injure someone attending the accident, giving rise to a risk of cross-infection. However, it also states that there are no known cases of infection by this route.³