What Is Exsanguination?
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers | November 18, 2025 | Wrongful Death
The human body can survive a degree of blood loss, but once the cardiovascular system can no longer sustain blood pressure, death occurs. If a loved one has died as a result of blood loss, it’s essential to know what steps to take. Learn more about exsanguination, how it can occur, and what filing a wrongful death claim can mean.
An Overview of Exsanguination
Exsanguination is the medical term for bleeding out. It occurs when someone loses more than 40% of their body’s total blood volume. If most average adults weigh between 150 and 180 pounds and have up to 1.5 gallons of blood, exsanguination would occur after losing a bit more than half a gallon.
Hemorrhagic shock occurs when you lose just 15% of total blood volume. It causes the body’s core temperature to drop and leads to acidosis, which can cause confusion, an increased heart rate, and fatigue. Coagulation is impacted, too, so blood doesn’t clot. At the same time, the heart’s rhythm can become abnormal. Blood pressure drops rapidly.
The heart tries to keep the blood flowing by pumping faster, but it ultimately fails because there isn’t enough blood to accomplish this. The heart, lungs, and all other organs stop receiving oxygen, causing organ failure and then death.
Someone can die from exsanguination in just 10 minutes. Unfortunately, more than 60,000 people in the United States die from blood loss every year.
Common Causes of Exsanguination
Exsanguination often occurs from traumatic events. Car accidents, especially those involving high speeds or rollover collisions, are one reason these deaths occur. Workplace accidents like falls or incidents involving heavy machinery, such as those you encounter in factories or construction sites, can cause amputations and other severe injuries that could lead someone to bleed out.
Assaults of all types cause exsanguination. Gunshots and stab wounds can quickly result in severe levels of blood loss, especially if they impact an organ.
A medical professional who makes a mistake during surgery or who prescribes a medication that causes internal bleeding can be responsible for these catastrophic injuries, too.
Wrongful Death Claims in San Diego
If a loved one died because of exsanguination, you may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim. The surviving spouse, domestic partner, or the children of the deceased typically have the right to start this type of legal action.
Wrongful death claims are similar to personal injury claims. The key difference is that the victim of the injury is not able to file the lawsuit themselves.
You will still need to show that the other party’s conduct resulted in your loved one’s death. This may allow you to receive compensation to cover medical expenses that your loved one may have incurred before dying, funerary costs, and an array of other losses you have sustained. You can also receive compensation for pain and suffering, as well as loss of consortium.
Contact Our San Diego Wrongful Death Lawyers for a Free Consultation
After such a horrific event, the last thing you should be focused on is filing legal paperwork. By hiring an attorney to do this for you, not only will you have someone ready to fight for your and your loved one’s rights, but you can also put all of your energy toward healing from your loss.
A San Diego wrongful death attorney will gather the necessary evidence, calculate damages, and negotiate aggressively with insurance companies on your behalf. Their help is invaluable in wrongful death claims. Call Mission Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation to get started.
If you’ve been injured in San Diego or Chula Vista, please call Mission Personal Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer or contact us online.
We proudly serve San Diego County and throughout California.
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers – San Diego Office
2515 Camino del Rio S Suite 350, San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 777-5555
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers – Chula Vista Office
690 Otay Lakes Rd #130, Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 722-3032
We also serve the state of Texas. For legal assistance, contact our personal injury law office in El Paso today.
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers – El Paso Office
201 E Main Suite 106, El Paso, Texas 79901
(915) 591-1000
