What To Do if You Experience Sexual Assault

If you are in immediate danger, call 911

• Do not shower, bathe, douche, or otherwise clean yourself.
• If possible, do not urinate.
• Do not eat, drink liquids, smoke, or brush your teeth if oral contact took place.
• If you must change your clothes, save all clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault.
• If you have changed your clothes, place the clothing in a paper bag (plastic may destroy important evidence).
• Do not disturb anything in the area where the assault occurred, such as sheets or towels.
• You should also save any text messages, photos, social networking pages, and any other communications related to the incident.

Evidence should be collected immediately. After the first 24 hours, the quality of evidence usually decreases, but can be collected up to 72 hours after the assault. This evidence collection can be performed at any of the area hospital emergency rooms:

• Bridgeport Hospital 203-384-3566
• St. Vincents Hospital 203-576-5877

Hospital staff will ask to collect evidence. Whether or not you decide to have evidence collected, it is important that you avoid the following prior to arriving at the hospital:

• Changing clothes
• Showering or bathing
• Douching
• Drinking
• Eating
• Smoking
• Brushing your teeth
• Using the bathroom

Taking these precautions before the medical exam allows you to keep your legal options open as long as possible. These activities can destroy vital evidence. If you have not changed your clothes, bring a change of clothes with you. If you’ve changed your clothes since the assault, place the clothes you wore at the time of the attack in a paper bag (not plastic). Bring them with you to the emergency room. Let your nurse or doctor know you have them, and tell them if you have done anything else (washed, etc.) before you arrived.