ROAD TRIPS- saving the lives of accident victims

The end of the year is here again, a whole lot of traveling goes on. The highways are at the busiest during this time, unfortunately at this time, road accidents occur most. I recently saw some videos of accidents. Most of the victims were alive, some had physical wounds, some were bleeding profusely, and some had no physical injuries and just lay on the ground. Other road users were trying to give help as much as they could, taking victims out of vehicles, others were making videos, some were hysterical, crying and praying. Others were saying to the victims “you will not die”, “do you have a phone number we can call?”……………………

Unfortunately, I did not see anyone equipped with a first aid box! The method of evacuating victims from the vehicles was mostly wrongly carried out. Having first aid skill and having a first aid box/kit are essential especially when embarking on road trips. Sometimes you may not have to use it on yourself or the party you are traveling with, but it might just be useful to some other people in need of medical attention. I have had conversations with people who have witnessed accidents and were unable to help as much as they would have or should have, because they were not equipped.

Sometimes, fate puts you in a position to be a first responder, what do you do? It is important that one is equipped with the knowledge of proper procedures for a variety of medical emergencies and not cause further harm while trying to help.

Alright let us assume you happen to stumble on road accident victims, you can save lives by reading through this.

 

AS A RESCUER OR FIRST RESPONDER THERE ARE CERTAIN QUALITIES YOU MUST HAVE

-Be calm.do not panic
-Be observant
-Be careful
-Be confident
-Be sympathetic
-Have good judgement
-Be resourceful

WHAT TO DO

-CHECK
Inspect the scene for safety, find out if the person is conscious, check for signs of life (look, listen and feel for movement and normal breathing, also look out for injuries (cuts, fractures etc.)
If the victim is conscious, inform them that you want to administer first aid.
If victim is unconscious, administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
 

-CALL
Place a call to Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) or any Emergency Medical Service (EMS) or get someone else to do so.
 

-CARE
Depending on the victim’s condition, the necessary first aid should be administered.

ADMINISTERING FIRST AID (CARE)
In order to give proper care to the victim, the victim should be properly evacuated from the vehicle. Do not allow the onlookers to crowd around you. Loosen tight clothing or restrictive clothing on the victim (belts, ties). Reassure the victim and stay calm.

The most common medical emergencies in car accidents are

Neck injuries
Brain and head injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Back injuries
Facial injuries
Internal injuries
Pelvis and abdominal injuries
Leg, arm and knee injuries
Foot injuries
Chest injuries
Scrapes and cuts
Burns
Bone injuries (fractures and dislocations)
Bleeding

In caring for victims that may present with one or more of these injuries before professional help arrives, some basic first aid items should be available, but in their absence, you would have to improvise. However it is best when we are prepared.

FIRST AID BASICS
Disposable hand gloves
Face shield/CPR mask
Cold pack
Bandage
Plasters
Alcohol wipes/antiseptic wipes
Scissors
Gauze
Burn cream
Triangular bandage
Safety pins
Cotton wool/balls
OTC pain killers (e.g. paracetamol)
Emergency blanket
Hand sanitizer
Adhesive tape
Tourniquet
Splint

WHAT TO DO

#THEFABSNUGGET
BLEEDING-Ensure you wear disposable hand gloves. If the wound is covered by clothing, carefully remove the clothing or cut off the clothing to uncover the source of bleeding. The aim here is to arrest the bleeding, as excessive bleeding could lead to death. This is achieved by applying direct pressure on the source of the bleeding (cuts or wounds), this is done with the use of clean cloth, gauze, etc. The pressure is applied until the bleeding stops. However if there is an object stuck at the source of the bleeding, do not attempt to pull it out; instead apply the pressure on either side of it with a clean cloth.
When the bleeding stops or is reduced significantly, then apply a sterile wound dressing. Place the victim in the recovery position, and monitor victim till professional help arrives.

#BeSafe
#BePrepared
#BeFABulouS

Note
The importance of administering first as soon as possible is to increase the victim’s survival chances, prevent the situation from worsening and promote recovery.

Would put up care for other injuries subsequently.