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By David DeKunder | 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affair
National Burn Awareness Week - Feb. 7-13
On Nov. 2, 2020, Jorge Terrazas was working on electrical equipment at the South Texas Gateway Terminal, a crude oil export terminal in Ingleside, Texas, when he felt a powerful shock go through his body.
The shock Terrazas felt came as he was installing a cable on a switchgear, an electric power system, at the terminal, which provides stored crude oil to tankers from the U.S. and around the world. As a result of the shock, 12,000 volts of electricity went through Terrazas’ body, causing second- to third-degree burns and leaving him in excruciating pain.
“It was like something I couldn’t let go of,” said Terrazas about the electrical shock. “I could feel my teeth like grinding and it felt very, very powerful. It held me for a couple of seconds and then let me go.
“I consider myself lucky,” he added. “I think God was behind me and that’s why I survived. Twelve thousand volts; it’s tough.”
After his accident, Terrazas was hospitalized for five weeks at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, or USAISR, Burn Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, getting treatment for his burns and wounds. He has undergone eight surgeries for his burn injuries and is currently in rehabilitation as an outpatient.
The electrical shock and flash he received left burns on his left and right shoulders, right hand, left hand and arm. Besides the surgeries, Terrazas has also had skin grafts on his left arm and right shoulder.
Before he started working on the switchgear system that led to getting shocked, Terrazas said he saw everything locked down on the system and believed it was shut off. But, once he started working on it, he saw a flash and then felt the shock.
Afterward, Terrazas said his wounds and burns were not visible because he was wearing fire retardant clothing and gloves; but he did see burns on the fingertips of his right hand and noticed inflammation on his left hand. The effects of the shock also left him in pain.
“I could feel a lot of pain on my whole left arm and hand, and it was getting closer and closer to my chest,” Terrazas said. “My left hand was curling into me because of the pain.”
Terrazas said co-workers helped him until first responders arrived. Then, he was transported by ambulance to a Corpus Christi hospital, and then he was flown by helicopter to the USAISR Burn Center.
Terrazas said it was at the burn center that he saw the severity of his injuries.
“I never looked at my hand until I was in San Antonio; that’s when I looked at it,” he said. “It was scary at the time. I knew it was very, very bad. I was scared that they were going to cut my left hand off because of the damage.”
Terrazas said he is grateful to his surgeon, Dr. Rodney Chan, USAISR chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and the therapists at the burn center who helped him during rehabilitation.
Since early December, Terrazas has been recovering at home in Harlingen, Texas, and is still undergoing rehabilitation and therapy for his left hand.
The effects of the accident still linger, he said. And he still has a hard time getting sleep because of the pain from his injuries.
Terrazas said the accident has completely changed his life, making simple tasks, such as getting dressed, harder to do. He needs the help of his wife, Tere, to do those things, he said. He also still has a dressing over his left hand, which Tere has to change twice a day, and a cast over his left wrist.
Terrazas is scheduled to see his doctor at USAISR later this month for tendon reconstruction surgery.
Reflecting on the experience, Terrazas said he has learned many things that he wants to pass along to others like, it is better to be safe than sorry by taking precautions before working around electrical equipment.
“It’s not worth the pain,” Terrazas said. “It’s better to stop the job and test everything first. If it’s going to take an extra 10 to 15 minutes, let it be. The electrical injuries - it’s not a joke. Everything is painful.”
People with electrical burn injuries, such as Terrazas', account for approximately four percent of burn patients treated at burn centers annually across the United States, according to the American Burn Association. Each year, approximately 400,000 people receive medical care and treatment for burn injuries.
The awareness and prevention of electrical burn injuries was the focus of National Burn Awareness Week Feb. 7-13, observed annually by the American Burn Association, and organizations and burn centers that educate the public about and treat burn injuries, such as the USAISR Burn Center.
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2021 17:49 |
| Story ID: | 389950 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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