Gauge, that's why using the truth as a pretext is so great. I'd go to the hospital and say "I was powerbocking and some dude stabbed me."

I mean heck, I'd go to the hospital anyway unless it was very superficial, but still.

I used to take that approach sometimes doing professional stuff, Crossfire. The only problem is sometimes it doesn't stand up very well to scrutiny. Given your second paragraph there, I don't personally see any reason for you to lie or even stretch the truth at all.

What Mega-Rad said is very true. When the police investigate the crime, having the correct facts is necessary to the process. When you tell them you are a children's entertainer, their next question will likely be "where were you going to/coming from entertain/ing?" or some such. Then you're in a spot where you either level with them, or tell a blatant lie that could affect the way they investigate the case. This could even extend into a legal problem if they decide your lack of disclosure constitutes obstruction. I think your best bet is just to be honest. The hospital will report it to police, and police will interview you. At this point, they have seen you in costume, so what does it matter why you're wearing it? If they see you on patrol at some future point, I can almost guarantee they will remember you.

One thing that you can do for a stab wound that punctures the lung is take a plastic bag and fold it into a square. Place it over the wound tightly, then tape 3 sides of the square. This will let air out but not let any air in. However, this will only buy you time. A wound like that needs to be treated in a hospital no matter how stubborn you may be.

Yeah, Golden Valkyrie, there is some first aid for what they call "sucking chest wounds." Despite quite a while in the army, I'm not sure I could actually do it in real life, though. It's like an emergency tension pneumothorax decompression thing... hard, basically.

the EMT says,

dont get stabbed.

if you do, call 911 and tell them as much before you pass out.

Crossfire, the police will interview the medical personnel that interacted with you to see if you said anything that could be helpful, and to make sure your story to them is consistent. I am not saying you have to volunteer to hospital personnel that you are a superhero, just that you need to tell the truth when they ask you how it happened. If they ask about the costume, just tell them it's not relevant. If you go in costume, I think they may either figure it out or make up their own story. Either way, the superhero label will get applied by someone. But think of this, if you get wounded fighting a crime and end up at the emergency room, you can count on news interviews in very short order (if that's of interest to you) and a whole lot of publicity and street cred.

Well... maybe the responding EMT will also be a superhero. That would be a mind %$&* to me, personally.

Im thinking if I get stabbed the responding EMT will be MY superhero...LOL

A few addenda. Shock. You get cut or stabbed, there is a good chance you will go into shock. So treating yourself probably will not be possible. After the hormonal cocktail in your system wears off, you will probably not have the presence of mind or the steady hands to do the job anyway.

SH was right about 20 feet is close enough. Police shoot people with knives before they get that close. It's been proven several times that a guy with a blade can cover that distance and cut you faster than you can draw and shoot. And then you probably won't hit them.

If you try to block a knife attack, use the BACK of your forearm and get your head and body out of the way.

I echo what everyone else has said before: If they have a knife, and you can...run. If you get stabbed/cut and you are able, control the bleeding and get medical help.

I was stabbed in the left forearm a few years back and treated it myself -- bandages, pressure, butterfly bandages, stuff like that. That wasn't the smartest decision, but it didn't really have drastic negative consequences, either. I just ended up with a worse scar, I think. Anyway, my left arm from the elbow down (including hand) was disabled for over a week.

I also had some very superficial slashing type wounds on my inner right elbow another time. I just put bandaids on those.

Nowadays I would go to a hospital, despite my antipathy toward doctors.

At the time I didn't want the incidents, which happened in Germany, to be part of any official reports.

When I was learning Karate, my sensei said that when someone draws a knife, someone is going to get cut. That's also something to consider if you ever engage or are engaged by someone with a knife. A knife can cut the attacker just as easily as the person being attacked. Running is usually the best option, in my opinion.

With all due respect, and in full agreement that fleeing is normally the best option if someone pulls a knife or other weapon, my assumption for this thread is that this would happen on patrol, likely in response to intervening in a physical altercation between two or more people (such as a mugging). Under this assumption, I believe most of us would not flee, leaving the perpetrator free to continue his criminal act. Prof. Midnight, good point about the shock factor. It is an excellent protective mechanism. I would add that it is different for everyone and it is important that you know how it affects you. Personally, if someone attacks me off-patrol, I will defend myself as a first measure if the perp looks like he could outrun me. What use is it to tire yourself from running and THEN have to fight as well once he catches up. It's more tactically sound to just use my on-hand weapons to neutralize the threat. Even if he has no weapon, he will be getting a fully justifiable drubbing and an all-expenses paid trip to the county jail for a night of public defecation and sweet, sweet jailhouse lovin.

Gauge, I think Prof. Midnight didn't mean Shock as in "Oh my god, someone just pulled a knife on me." I think he meant more along the lines of Shock as in the medical condition. Shock can be deadly. Shock happens when you lose a lot of blood, if I remember correctly. It can have some very deadly effects. Some signs of it are clammy skin, a rapid and weak pulse, shallow respiration, and even hypothermia. For more about Shock, click Here

I have experienced medical shock and am very familiar with how it affects me. I realize that is what Prof. Midnight was talking about. It can be brought on by blood loss, but also by severe pain or strong emotion. You stated the symptoms and dangers quite well, and it can also produce drowsiness which can cause one to lapse into a coma. The dangers aside, shock can be protective as well, as in some people it can reduce or eliminate pain sensations and may allow some people to operate beyond their normal tolerances for short periods. Obviously, this does not translate to every trauma or every person, and I wouldn't want to count on it happening this way. Now if you want to talk about the fear response, or "fight-or-flight" mechanics of the autonomic nervous system, that'd make an interesting thread, too.

I had someone attempt to stab me once, 2nd patrol, abdominal attempt, I had on ballistic armor with stab reistance. The split second he realized the screwdriver did not penetrate, he received a clean radial break.