# What's an injury that can immobilize someone that he can heal quickly from?



## ironpony (Aug 21, 2022)

For my story, I want the police to respond to a crime scene, but I want the criminals to have left one of their own behind for the police to find and arrest.  This is tricky, because I am thinking how can the villains leave a whole person behind without coming off as too incompetent.  But I could write it so that a fight breaks out between the villains and one of them, and that one of the gets away.  The villains try to catch him, but he ends up kicking one of them in the knee dislocating it, so the guy cannot get away.  The one they are chasing after gets away, and the other villains get away, before the cops come.

Once the cops arrive, they find the immobolized one.   However, I was told in my research that a knee dislocation, would take two months to heal from and for the plot, I want this character to be running around about two weeks later.  Is there any injury or anything that can immobilize a person so the police will find him when they get there, but this person can be able to run around two weeks later, if possible?

Thank you very much for any advice on this.  I really appreciate it.


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## CyberWar (Aug 22, 2022)

A sprained ankle should do the trick. It hurts like a bitch and anyone afflicted won't be going anywhere without a heavy limp, but at the same time it usually leaves no permanent damage and the pain and swelling goes away in about a week or two.


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## Tiberius (Aug 23, 2022)

When you say "running around two weeks later," what do you mean by running around? I sprained my ankle once very badly, and it was about 6 weeks before it was fully healed. But that said, I could walk on it two weeks later. So a minor sprain could incapacitate the guy as you need, but two weeks later he could be walking around. Although I wouldn't buy that he'd be running a marathon two weeks later.


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## VRanger (Aug 23, 2022)

Tiberius said:


> When you say "running around two weeks later," what do you mean by running around? I sprained my ankle once very badly, and it was about 6 weeks before it was fully healed. But that said, I could walk on it two weeks later. So a minor sprain could incapacitate the guy as you need, but two weeks later he could be walking around. Although I wouldn't buy that he'd be running a marathon two weeks alter.


I'll bet you could limp on it right away ... it just hurts like a son of a bitch. I walked a balance beam in a gym once. When I jumped off I landed on one of the support struts and turned my ankle a full 90 degrees. I walked away from it, but not happily, and as you say it was weeks before it was right again.


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## Tiberius (Aug 23, 2022)

VRanger said:


> I'll bet you could limp on it right away ... it just hurts like a son of a bitch. I walked a balance beam in a gym once. When I jumped off I landed on one of the support struts and turned my ankle a full 90 degrees. I walked away from it, but not happily, and as you say it was weeks before it was right again.


 Yeah, I could limp on it, but if I was a criminal being chased by the cops, I wouldn't even bother running.


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## Banespawn (Aug 25, 2022)

How about a blow to the head? Character is knocked out and suffers a mild concussion.


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## ironpony (Aug 26, 2022)

Oh well it's just a couple of a weeks later in the plot, he is being shot at and I don't want him to get killed right away, so could he run away from gunfire that is being fired from him from far away?

But as for a blow to the head and being knocked out, I read that only lasts a few seconds though, which would give him time to wake up and run away before the police got there though, if that is correct?  Some knocks outs can last longer, but I read those ones come with brain damage, and I do not want the character to be brain damaged for later, if that's true?


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## Banespawn (Aug 26, 2022)

ironpony said:


> Oh well it's just a couple of a weeks later in the plot, he is being shot at and I don't want him to get killed right away, so could he run away from gunfire that is being fired from him from far away?
> 
> But as for a blow to the head and being knocked out, I read that only lasts a few seconds though, which would give him time to wake up and run away before the police got there though, if that is correct?  Some knocks outs can last longer, but I read those ones come with brain damage, and I do not want the character to be brain damaged for later, if that's true?


I'm not sure of the exact medical ramifications, but I think it's an area where readers will give you a good amount of leeway.


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## ironpony (Aug 26, 2022)

Okay thanks. But if the knocked out man's criminal associates try to wake him up to get away, would they be able to wake him up still though?


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## Sinister (Aug 26, 2022)

Rhabdomyolysis.  Very painful.  Hard on the kidneys.  Can come from lots of things from poisoning, electrocution, to working out too hard.  Lot of complications, but some people recover just fine.

-Sin


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## Yumi Koizumi (Aug 26, 2022)

ironpony said:


> Thank you very much for any advice on this.  I really appreciate it.


I think it makes the most sense if the injury was during or a part of the caper. So knowing what the caper was would offer some ideas. But if you're looking for something generic, one thing could be whether there were any bystanders involved, whether temporary hostages or passers by. They may have caught and detained somebody who was doing something nefarious, hoping for the police to come. At that point, as long as the mob was merciful.

If a person was intentionally left behind, it would be hard for them to think of something. They could even say that they got clean away but forgot something, and had to go back for it. Some things are worth going back for.

Sorry, I can't be more help.


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## Yumi Koizumi (Aug 26, 2022)

ironpony said:


> Oh well it's just a couple of a weeks later in the plot, he is being shot at and I don't want him to get killed right away, so could he run away from gunfire that is being fired from him from far away?


Clearly you are too young to have been watching TV in the '70s and '80s! 

(Explanation: those were the days when you never saw anybody fatally shot on TV. Must have been some kind of law or something. And on all the westerns you saw, the bad guys have their gun shot out of their hand without injuring them! Pretty hard to do, and MythBusters did a special about it, seeing just how easy it was to do, and it was very _very_ difficult. Sorry if the reference was too obscure... I forget my age...)

Frank Drebin, though, could shoot the guns out of TWO guys' hands with one shot:


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## Yumi Koizumi (Aug 26, 2022)

ironpony said:


> But as for a blow to the head and being knocked out, I read that only lasts a few seconds though, which would give him time to wake up and run away before the police got there though, if that is correct?  Some knocks outs can last longer, but I read those ones come with brain damage, and I do not want the character to be brain damaged for later, if that's true?


I see what you mean. There is that area in between,"ouch! That hurt!", and killing a person. If you wanted to take a humorous angle at being disabled in the getaway, there could be all kinds of gags, including ones that the other bad guys played on that one that is left.

But if it's a more serious tone, and the plot requires this to happen, which you are very specific about, I would probably ask, now that I've had a minute to think about it, how important is the way that the bad guy gets injured and detained to the plot?

Like, will it be a recurring thing, like maybe they have seizures, or perhaps the result of the kind of thing they are robbing (here I'm thinking like something radioactive or toxic in another way), or even the hazards of a place that has what they are taking. Here. I'm thinking maybe a museum or a place with doors that come down are automatically lock if somebody is detected inside. Maybe a guard dog is chomping on their foot and they can't drag the dog along with them.

I hope I'm being helpful, but I'm definitely not sure.


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## Yumi Koizumi (Aug 26, 2022)

ironpony said:


> [...] so could he run away from gunfire that is being fired from him from far away?


Okay, here I can give some real-world advice. I used to do a tremendous amount of competitive shooting, predominantly with pistols because I am left eye dominant, and most rifle stocks require you to be right eye dominant.

Anyway, it is extraordinarily hard to hit someone when they're standing still if they are 50 ft away, provided that you were shooting with a revolver that has a short barrel. Now I'm talking about standing with your arm at full length, muscles twitching, and somebody sitting still waiting for you to shoot them. 

The inaccuracy of a short barreled weapon is amplified by even the smallest twitches of muscles, usually an amateur will do this by yanking the trigger back, such that they can't even figure out where the bullet went, it is so far off target!

Now, I imagine your scene, where not only is the person running as a moving target, but they are being aimed at and shot by people at a different level, or altitude if you will. And we don't even know if the people shooting, if they are like anybody else, are also anxious or nervous, maybe adrenaline, all of these things make accurate shooting (dang near) impossible.

Just the fact that as you said they are shooting from above, adds a whole different factor in aiming, because wind resistance, as it affects drag, is affected by gravity as well; Much more so than if the gun and target were at the same altitude, or level. There are special calculations snipers need to make in those situations, so I can't imagine somebody just pulling a revolver out and shooting at someone would be any better of a shot. 

Basically, there's no way that I would believe somebody could get shot from a revolver at any great distance over say 60 or 70 ft, considering the nerves of the person shooting combined with the random action of somebody running.

So I think your bad guy is going to get away no problem. My money is on a safe escape!


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## Yumi Koizumi (Aug 27, 2022)

_There seems to be a few less posts in this thread... hmmmm..._

So, @ironpony have you had a thought on what was suggested?

Hope so!


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## ironpony (Aug 28, 2022)

Yumi Koizumi said:


> Okay, here I can give some real-world advice. I used to do a tremendous amount of competitive shooting, predominantly with pistols because I am left eye dominant, and most rifle stocks require you to be right eye dominant.
> 
> Anyway, it is extraordinarily hard to hit someone when they're standing still if they are 50 ft away, provided that you were shooting with a revolver that has a short barrel. Now I'm talking about standing with your arm at full length, muscles twitching, and somebody sitting still waiting for you to shoot them.
> 
> ...



Okay thanks. Those are good points. It's just that I felt thatif he was running it would make it more exciting but even if he has a swollen ankle from before and the bullets are still missing that can still be exciting too.


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## Taylor (Aug 28, 2022)

@ironpony, I sent you a PM.  You can find it on the top right-hand corner of the site.  There will be a red notice on an image of an envelope.  Can you please read it and respond to me, so I know you've read it?


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## VRanger (Aug 28, 2022)

Yumi Koizumi said:


> Anyway, it is extraordinarily hard to hit someone when they're standing still if they are 50 ft away, provided that you were shooting with a revolver that has a short barrel. Now I'm talking about standing with your arm at full length, muscles twitching, and somebody sitting still waiting for you to shoot them.


But ... but ... but ... I distinctly remember Joe Mannix once hitting a bad guy who was running across a catwalk 25 feet in the air and at least 40 yards away with a snub nose .38! (wink) What I REALLY like are heroes who are crack shots for the entire show/movie, then suddenly choke and can't come close to the bad guy when that opportunity arises ... and the same in reverse. Bullets which ricochet off of sheet metal ... or even better ... fiberglass!


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## Arsenex (Aug 28, 2022)

I've been knocked out. While you may come to a few seconds later, that doesn't mean you are ready to jump up and run. I've had to sit for five minutes or more until the fog cleared. Even then, it took another fifteen to twenty before I would have been able to function somewhat normally. If your character is running away, in a hurry, there are plenty of ways to have him smack his head into something. And if he's the last one in the pack and the cops are close behind, he could easily be left. Under the same circumstances, you also have entanglement. Maybe he falls into a clump of thorn bushes or vines. Or even sinks in mud. I was walking the dunes on a SC beach and stepped out onto the mud flats, looking at what I thought was a shell about twenty-five feet away. The tide was out. The ground looked solid, but I instantly sank up to my waste, only stopping because I spun around in time to throw my elbows back on the hard sand. Had I not done that there is a good possibility I would be on my way to being fossil fuel right now, as I don't know how deep the mud really was. I didn't hit bottom. Where I'm going with this is that I was trapped for about five minutes. Someone there could have pulled me out sooner. But if your guy is in the back of the pack and becomes entrapped, and the cops are just behind, his pals could easily leave him behind.


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## Yumi Koizumi (Aug 28, 2022)

VRanger said:


> But ... but ... but ... I distinctly remember Joe Mannix once hitting a bad guy who was running across a catwalk 25 feet in the air and at least 40 yards away with a snub nose .38! (wink) What I REALLY like are heroes who are crack shots for the entire show/movie, then suddenly choke and can't come close to the bad guy when that opportunity arises ... and the same in reverse. Bullets which ricochet off of sheet metal ... or even better ... fiberglass!


Oh, and one more thing. Actors ignore the sound. Shooting so much, I have had a revolver (.45 with moon clips) and 8" barrel go off 3' from my head, and my ears were ringing for HOURS. And when I say 'ringing', I don't mean, "Hey, can you hear that faint ringing?"... I'm talking reading lips, and your own voice muffled when shouting-like your voice is now underwater. It also scared the [_worst word I'm allowed to use here_] out of me. This is not by even the _slightest_ amount an exaggeration. I've shot pistols with silencers, which is an amazing thing if you ever get the chance.

Why do I mention this?

Because if your character fires off a pistol (auto, revolver) without ear protection (only if they are on a range, probably), they won't be sneaking up on anything for a few hours, and they can't hear anyone else talking, asking them to shout to be heard. It's good for TV, but if you want some authenticity in your writing, and you want to use guns, just be mindful that some of your readers may know what they sound like... 

And no, @VRanger , guns made in the 70s & 80s could only hit you harmlessly-"It's only a flesh wound". I got news for you: _Fatal shots are also flesh wounds_! I guess the bullets just bounced off you like gallery shot (range term for bullets with so little powder you can literally see them travel). The joke was they _bounced_ to the target...

And also, even in Westerns, no squibs, no blood, nothing. The only way we knew who got show was that the one hit would make them fall over. I suppose it doesn't matter... Nobody cares about authenticity in anything, I guess... 

Now THIS is how a real gunfight goes:

​


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## VRanger (Aug 28, 2022)

Yumi Koizumi said:


> Oh, and one more thing. Actors ignore the sound.


That's what stunt men and Foley Artists are for!



Yumi Koizumi said:


> "It's only a flesh wound".
> 
> And also, even in Westerns, no squibs, no blood, nothing. The only way we knew who got show was that the one hit would fall over. I suppose it doesn't mater... Nobody cares about authenticity in anything, I guess...


Thank goodness it's through and through! Business as usual!


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## Yumi Koizumi (Aug 28, 2022)

VRanger said:


> But ... but ... but ... I distinctly remember Joe Mannix once hitting a bad guy who was running across a catwalk 25 feet in the air and at least 40 yards away with a snub nose .38! (wink) What I REALLY like are heroes who are crack shots for the entire show/movie, then suddenly choke and can't come close to the bad guy when that opportunity arises ... and the same in reverse. Bullets which ricochet off of sheet metal ... or even better ... fiberglass!


Mannix... haha! You're old! 



Wait... So am I... Now I'm sad... :-(


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## VRanger (Aug 28, 2022)

Hey! Mannix is currently running every weekday on ME TV. ;-) Set your DVR and enjoy! And I'm only 25 in some strange hybrid of doggy and kitty years.


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## JBF (Aug 30, 2022)

Yumi Koizumi said:


> Oh, and one more thing. Actors ignore the sound. Shooting o much, I have had a revolver (.45 with moon clips) and 8" barrel go off 3' from my head, and my ears were ringing for HOURS. And when I say 'ringing', I don't mean, "Hey, an you hear that faint ringing?"... I'm talking reading lips, and your own voice muffled when shouting-like your voice is now underwater. It also scares the [_worst word I'm allowed to use here_] out of me. This is not by even the _slightest_ amount an exaggeration. I've shot pistols with silencers, which is an amazing thing if you ever get the chance.



An unsuppressed AR with a 10/11.5" barrel will do about the same...people don't think muzzle blast be like it is, but it do.  

That said, a 16" AR in .300 BLK with a good can fitted roughly approximates the report and volume of a common office stapler.


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## Joker (Aug 30, 2022)

JBF said:


> people don't think muzzle blast be like it is, but it do.



This is what we under-30s call a "bruh moment"


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## JBF (Aug 30, 2022)

Joker said:


> This is what we under-30s call a "bruh moment"


 
Credit/blame Oscar Gamble for that one.  

Meantime, prove me wrong.


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