Author: Mike Hill / Editor: Fiona Mendes / Codes: / Published: 17/06/2026
A 15-year-old girl is brought to your Emergency Department (ED) by her teacher after being the victim of an assault outside of her school. The teacher reported that a man on a moped threw liquid from a bottle, which landed on her face and clothes.
On arrival, approximately 16 minutes after the event, she is screaming in pain and clutching her face. There is patchy erythema with areas of whitening and early blistering over the left side of her face, neck and chest. Her clothing is visibly wet emitting a strong chemical smell. Her eyes are tightly shut. She reports severe eye pain and photophobia. There is no airway compromise at present.
