In battlefield triage, which color indicates an injury that is not salvageable and is expected to die?

• A. Red
• B. Yellow
• C. Black
• D. Green

Answer: (C)

In battlefield triage, color codes quickly tell responders how likely it is that a patient will survive with treatment and how urgently they need care. Black is the color that marks injuries or conditions that are not salvageable—the patient is considered dead or dying and not expected to benefit from further lifesaving measures. This helps allocate scarce resources to those with a reasonable chance of recovery.

For contrast, Red indicates immediate life-threatening injuries that require rapid care to save a life, Yellow means serious but not immediately life-threatening injuries that can wait a short time, and Green denotes minor injuries or the walking wounded who can wait longer for treatment. The Black designation is the most critical for deciding when to stop active intervention and focus on others who might still survive.