“First Aid” – the chance of car crash victims
In the past years, road tragedies have become more frequent, and the number of victims following a car accident has increased. Drama is, that many of those who died or left crippled could have been saved if those around them would have known how to act. In case of an accident, you need to quickly intervene only if you have basic knowledge about first aid.
First aid tips
Rescuers, who must be at least two, should first “clear the zone” by removing unwise or restless people, then quickly assess the risks that may arise due to possible gas leaks from the damaged car tank or fallen power lines. Any of these conditions may cause even more victims to the crowd that tends to gather near any accident. The next step is to check the victim’s condition. When he is unconscious, it is absolutely mandatory to carefully check his neck vertebraes to make sure he doesn’t have a cervical spine fracture or a whiplash injury.
When changes occur, the victim must be raised by at least two people in the shaft, without changing its position, because cervical spine fracture leads to tetraplegia. Then watch the vital signs: breathing – by looking at the chest, which should rise and descend, and heartbeat – by taking the pulse from carotid.
Don’t do more harm
Do not move – shift the victim (unless in case of imminent danger), as you can make things worse. If external bleeding occurred, as consequence of fracture, blood flow must be stopped using elastic bands or compression bandage: the tourniquet should not be used in any form, because it can cause vascular contusion. A pressure dressing can be improvised from a towel and a belt. In the case of fracture, the injured must be immobilized and, if there isn’t even a board, the legs can simply be tied to one another, or an arm to the body. If the victim is not breathing, proceed with artificial respiration: mouth to mouth or mouth to nose. Resuscitation should be performed until the victim recovers or until the ambulance arrives.
What drivers should know
Before giving first aid, rescuers must call the ambulance (or 911) and give all the details they know. Secondly, they shouldn’t place the victim in a car to transport it to the hospital because it creates unnecessary risks. This can only be made by the ambulance professionals who know exactly how to proceed in such cases.
Thousands of people are injured or contract a serious illness after a car accident due to bad treatments applied by other passengers. All these are avoidable if you try to learn a bit our simple tricks.
Most of the times, the victim is entitled to make a compensation claim given these circumstances, but let us try to choose safety instead of money, in our every day life.
Credit: Car-Addicts.com (www.car-addicts.com)
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