Are you aware that the number of accidents are significantly increasing over the years?
Check out the diagram below and observe the notable spike in the number of accidents over the years.
Since accidents are so common, you may witness one and may have to provide help to the victims. However, you might be unsure of the effective ways to provide first aid on a road.
Well, take a look below to get yourself updated with the steps on how to encounter the situation.
#Step 1: Check for any danger
It is important that the scene is safe before approaching an accident victim. Check if there is any fuel flowing, fire, exposed wires or smoke. If yes, then it is better for you to not provide aid and call emergency services immediately.
- Prioritize those who are quiet and not moving. They could be in greater danger compared to the victims who are making noises.
- Check for responsiveness and for breath sounds. If the victim is unresponsive but breathing, make sure to position them in a way where he/she is leaning forward or to a side where the airway remains open (visual as shown below).
- Avoid moving or twisting the victim too much. Keep talking with the victim calmly so that he/she is able to hear you even when they are unconscious.
#Step 2: Offer help to the victim
Ask if the conscious victims require any assistance. This step is significant as not every accident victim may require help even if the victim needs it.
- If the victim responds yes to help, then provide the best aid you can. If the victim responds no, then do not approach or provide aid for any reason. Do wait for the emergency services to take over once they have arrived.
- Do remember to approach the victim with caution.
- Check to see if the victim is conscious by lightly shaking the person.
- Conscious casualties should be in the care of bystanders and should be removed from the accident location to a safer area. You should also brief the bystanders to keep the victims warm, calm and to contact their family members.
#Step 3: Avoid moving the victim
Be aware that many injuries may not be visible on the skin. Leave the person in place until the emergency services arrive if the victim is in imminent danger.
- Make sure to approach the victim by kneeling down to the victim’s level. By not doing this, this might cause the victim to be panicked and may cause further injury.
#Step 4: Check the airway
If the person is not breathing, you will need to resuscitate the person. Perform resuscitation on the victim immediately if you are still alone. You are required to give CPR in order to restart the circulatory and the respiratory system of the victim.
- Place your hand lightly on the victim’s forehead and gently tilt back the head. Kindly, lift up the chin of the victim with two fingers and place your cheek by the victim’s mouth to feel whether the victim is breathing. You should also check the victim’s chest whether it is falling or rising. If yes, then the person is breathing.
- Immediately start the CPR if the person is not respiring. Do not attempt to perform CPR if you are unsure of the procedures. However, you can ask the bystanders if they are capable of or just wait until the emergency services have arrived. Do check out the steps below on how to perform CPR.
- Make sure to inform the emergency service if the victim is breathing and/or receiving CPR.
#Step 5：Administer aid if it is necessary
Only provide first aid if the victim has life threatening injuries. It is generally recommended to wait for the emergency services.
- Keep the injured person as still as possible. Talking to a victim can help to calm the person down.
#Step 6：Treat shock
It is quite common to observe car accident victims to be in shock from an accident. Shocks can be life-threatening if not treated well.
Any guesses on the most common symptom of shock?
- Loosen any tight clothing. You should put blankets or clothes to keep the victim warm.
- Raise up the victim’s legs if you are able to do so. Resting the victims legs on your knees can help them to lower the effect of shock.
- Consider to shade the victim from the exposure of sun or rain to minimize shock.
#Step 7：Comfort the victim
Talking and giving the victim encouraging words can help to calm the victim down until the emergency services have arrived. This will help the victim to feel much better and not panic. You can also hold the victim’s hand which symbolizes a person’s sense of survival.
Check out on the encouraging words that can be mentioned to a victim.
#Step 8：Hand over to the emergency personnel
Once the emergency services have arrived, let the emergency personnel take over as these individuals are specially trained to handle car accidents and injuries.
- Inform the emergency services about what care you have administered to the victim or other matters that you could have possibly noticed.
- Ask whether the emergency service requires any help. Usually, it would be simply speaking to the police when they have arrived at the accident scene.
For the sake of simplicity, here is a short recap on the steps.
In conclusion, do take note of the necessary measures that should be considered when you encounter this situation. Remember, not to panic and handle the situation carefully and with care.
Hope that this article was helpful and informational, stay tuned on our next articles!
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