First Responder: Attending a Car Accident

You have probably seen a few car accidents in your life, but do you know what to do if you stop? Cars are heavy, fast machines that can end a life in seconds when they smash into something else. The damage that is done can be devastating and if you are not someone who handles trauma well, you might not be the right person to stop and help injured. But you can still call for help and flag people down.

The first thing you should do when you stop at a car accident is park your car where it won't be a hazard to others. This might mean driving a ways past the accident scene, but you don't want to cause another accident. Leave your hazard lights on to warn others.

Next, call 911. Then you can head back to the accident and assess the situation. Are there injured people? Are people getting out of the car and walking around? Every crash is different, you might encounter a family that is shaken up, but unharmed, or you may find a car full of teens that are badly injured or even dead. There is really no way to prepare yourself for this, you just have to deal with it when you get there.

Assure the survivors that help is on the way. If anyone is getting out of the car on their own, you can safely assume they will live until the ambulance arrives, but they may have internal or head injuries. Have them sit down out of harm's way while you see to the others, if there are any.

There is a basic rule for checking injured people, which you can remember as ABC. A is for airway, check to see if anything is blocking the person's airway or throat. A good way to check this is to ask a conscious person a question. If they can respond, the airway is clear. B is for breathing. Look for respiration and see if they are breathing normally or very shallowly. C stands for circulation. Check for a pulse. You can do this on the wrist, below the thumb. The pulse can also be checked on the neck if you can't find it on the wrist.

If there are multiple people injured and you are the only person who has stopped, forget about anyone who has no pulse. Stick to those who have a chance of living. If someone has a pulse, but isn't breathing, you will need to breathe for them, but you should only do this if the remaining victims are going to survive until the ambulance arrives, since you may need to do artificial respiration until the paramedics take over. Otherwise, stop heavy bleeding in anyone else before attempting artificial respiration or CPR.

When other people stop to help, ask if they have first aid training. If so, let them take over, otherwise, you should tell them what to do. It can be extremely helpful to take a basic first aid course before you run into a situation like this.

It is never easy to deal with accident victims, but having some first aid knowledge will prepare you somewhat. Keep your phone charged and a first aid kit in your car to help out at accident scenes.