If you’ve been hit by a bean bag gun bullet, you may wonder why it hurts so much. Despite the fact that they are considered nonlethal weapons, bean bag rounds can cause serious injuries, including serious eye injuries, which may require amputation. Bean bag rounds also pose a risk of internal bleeding and organ damage. In fact, according to one case report, a bullet from a bean bag gun accidentally hit a man’s eye and fractured his skull. A similar injury occurred in 2020 when a bullet penetrated a man’s chest and fractured his skull. The same report notes that despite the risks involved, street medics are available at public demonstrations for immediate assistance. These medics are usually identified by their red tape or red cross clothing.
The letter also details numerous cases of injuries caused by bean bag rounds, including multiple intracranial hemorrhages in one case. This occurs when blood clots within the brain and surrounding tissue. Another patient, a 20-year-old, suffered a depressed parietal skull fracture and required 23 days of hospitalization and rehabilitation. A representative of the medical community says that Austin doctors need to step up efforts to prevent the spread of these injuries and to improve the safety of the public.
The impact of a bean bag round was so severe that a 16-year-old boy had to have part of his skull removed and had complex wound closure. Another twenty-year-old man suffered broken bones in his nose. A 26-year-old woman was admitted to the intensive care unit with bleeding on the brain surface and behind her eardrum. Two other patients had broken elbows and jaws, while another was admitted to the hospital with fragments in her torso.