Tertiary blast injury is caused when the casualty is blown into a solid object like a wall or vehicle. This results in what type of trauma?

• A. Overpressure
• B. Debris
• C. Blunt trauma from a solid object
• D. Burns

Answer: (C)

Tertiary blast injuries come from the body being hurled by the blast wind and then striking a solid object, producing blunt trauma from that impact. In this scenario, hitting a wall or vehicle is classic blunt trauma caused by coming into contact with a solid surface after being thrown, which is the hallmark of tertiary injuries. The other blast injury types are different: primary injuries come from the blast overpressure itself, secondary injuries come from flying debris, and burns come from heat or chemicals released during the explosion. So the blunt trauma from the impact with a solid object best fits tertiary blast injury.