What do you do when you come across a bad car crash? - NF

[NAW]

One of my friends was driving to work yesterday, when he came upon a very fresh car accident. EMS was not on scene yet. A few vehicles had pulled over and begun to asses the scene. There was two severely damaged vehicles on the road and in the ditch.

 

My buddy stopped and asked if they needed any help. As he did not know the severity of the car crash.

The person he spoke to said, everything is OK. EMS are on their way. You don't need to stick around. Taking this person's advice, he drove off, and continued on to work.

 

He later found out that everything was NOT OK. There was a severely injured girl in the car in the ditch. And it turns out it was the sister of his good friend. She did not survive the accident.

 

When I herd this story, it made me sick to my stomach.

 

I guess what I am trying to say is.. If you come up to a bad accident like this, don't take someones word that "everything is OK". Who is this person to say everything is OK? What training does he have? You really don't know until you personally get out and asses the scene on your own.

 

What would you have done in this situation??

 

I would have stopped and got out and had a look for myself. Even if EMS is only minutes away. By the sound of it, this poor girl still would not have made it. But at least she would have had a familiar face/voice near her during her final minutes.

 

Sorry for the downer story. I just felt I should get it out there, and off my chest.. It was really bothering me, and I feel very bad for my friend.

 

[ecmilley]

same thing i have done my whole life if ems is not on scene get out and help, didn't do all that emergengy first aid for nothing, seconds count to save a life.

can't blame your friend in his own judgement he believed that everything was ok

[BillM]

He did the right thing if you ask me. If EMS was on the way, what else was there to do? If you aren't trained to provide assistance, you shouldn't be inspecting the scene if you ask me. Leave that to the professionals.

[NAW]

This can go either way I guess. I personally am trained to deal with situations like this, which is why I would have stopped.

 

And in NO way do I put any blame on my friend. He is not trained to handle situations like this. Can't blame the guy who told him to keep driving either.. Just a crappy situation.

 

I'm more just wondering what you all would do( or have done) in situations like this.

[Muskieman]

I've stopped at such scenes , I'm well trained ( considering my employment I'm obligated to if there is no EMS on site ) and have saved lives , it's always better to stop , if you happen to be worried about worstening the situation , don't be, you're covered by the " Good Samaritan " act..

 

Some cases are unfortunate and no help can be offered , but not knowing the difference I could have made would keep me awake at night .

 

Randy

[quickme]

Its a hard decision. If he is not trained to assist in the situation than he may be adding to the situation. He was good enough to stop and offer a helping hand which is more than many people would do. Would your friend want to see his friends sister minutes from her passing? That may not be an image he would like lingering for the rest of his life. Not many people can deal with a death of a human...

 

My condolances to the family and friends in the accident.

 

Nick

[lew]

In all my years as a fireman in Toronto I went to many many accidents and there were nearly always people there before us trying to help. Sometimes folks knew what they were doing and were very helpful, but other times they knew nothing and would do more damage than anything.

 

Unless it's absolutely neccesary, your better off not moving an injured person incase of spinal or neck injuries as you can do some very serious permanent damage.

 

If your trained in 1st aid and come across an accident, you can stop, and if there's already folks there that know what their doing you can offer to help them and they'll probably say yes. If nobody seems sure what to do, you can let them know that your trained and would like to help. Usually, they'll let you take charge and you can even direct others on what needs to be done.

 

Car crashes are nasty scenes and often have things that most people have never seen before. If you can stay calm and try and show that you know what your doing, it'll go a long ways in calming others down and with some help from bystanders, you can do alot to help the injured.

 

I normally stop when others need help, and if I can offer any assistance, I do what I can until an ambulance arrives.

[NAW]

I was really hoping you would chime in Lew. Thanks very much for your opinion.

[mr blizzard]

First off, too bad the tragidy happened, my prayers go out to the family .

 

Having served 15 years as an auxillary I have saw many things including people who played with trains and lost, there is no need to go on.

 

The point is your friend tried to help, but based on the info he received, the initial responders assured him everything was in control and his services were appreciated but not required.

 

However many people do not know how to react when they first approach a situation like that. They stop to offer assistance with the best of intentions but are not totally aware of what they may see.

 

Shock will sometimes set in not just for the injured but also for the initial people stopping to offer assistance,

 

They become focused on helping with the people that they see in front of them. And unfortunately without asking questions, the injured may not be of the state of mind to mention who else was travelling with them etc.

 

Without fault some others forgot to acertain these things. And no one knows if it would have made a difference.

 

Again everyone tried to do the very best and it is nice to see in this world that lives will be saved by people who are willing to stop and lend a hand to help others. There is still some compassion in this world .

[Acountdeleted]

Sorry to hear about the loss. I have my first aid so I would probably try to assess the situation and help out as much as possible. I wouldn't leave the scene until the EMT's had arrived regardless of my training.

 

Years ago, I was driving up North and a woman had hit a moose, the car behind her had swerved and flipped into the ditch. I pulled over to help out and a lot of the work wasn't even first aid related. Keeping people calm (those in the accident and witnesses) letting people use my phone to call tow trucks and loved ones and then providing as much info as possible to the EMT's when they arrived.

 

I really hope I'm not stirring the pot by saying this as is not my intent but if I were in that situation and I had left I think I would always be wondering if there was something I could have done or if I could have made a difference.

[Sinker]

I've stopped many times. I will always stop if there are no EMS on site. Its just how I roll. I often stop if I see someone with a flat tire, or hazard lights on the side of the road.

 

I witnesses a bad one about 10 years ago. 2 guys in a honda ran thru a stop sign, and got t-boned by a cube van. The car went flying into the ditch, where it rolled and caught FIRE!!. One occupant was unconcious, and the other couldn't get out because the doors were locked. At the time, I had a truck full of tools, so ran for a hammer, smashed out the concious drivers window and got him out. The other guy was still KO'd, but the flames were growing, so we smashed his window and dragged him out as well. By this time lots of people had stopped, but still no EMS. We got the unconcious guy out of harms way, covered him up, and prayed we didn't cause more damage to him, but better that than watch him burn! The whole car burnt to the ground!

 

One of the scariest moments of my life!

 

S.

[Sinker]

I often wonder why car doors automatically lock? The driver of the car above could have easily gotten out, but in his panic, didn't think to unlock the door!

[quickme]

You're a Hero!!! Unless you're faced with a situation like that you don't know how you would react. Some people freeze but others react and you reacted. I hope there was a happy ending to this.

 

I've stopped many times. I will always stop if there are no EMS on site. Its just how I roll. I often stop if I see someone with a flat tire, or hazard lights on the side of the road.

I witnesses a bad one about 10 years ago. 2 guys in a honda ran thru a stop sign, and got t-boned by a cube van. The car went flying into the ditch, where it rolled and caught FIRE!!. One occupant was unconcious, and the other couldn't get out because the doors were locked. At the time, I had a truck full of tools, so ran for a hammer, smashed out the concious drivers window and got him out. The other guy was still KO'd, but the flames were growing, so we smashed his window and dragged him out as well. By this time lots of people had stopped, but still no EMS. We got the unconcious guy out of harms way, covered him up, and prayed we didn't cause more damage to him, but better that than watch him burn! The whole car burnt to the ground!

One of the scariest moments of my life!

S.

[mike rousseau]

2 ways to look at it... If everyone stopped to help it would be creating a dangerous situation for another accident...

 

But I'd say anyone with training should stop...

 

Or if there isn't anyone stopped yet... Stop

 

I was first on scene once and ended up pulling an elderly lady from her car that was upside down in a ditch... She was pretty shakin up... We called 911 and waiting for EMS then we left...

[jedimaster]

Same, I will always stop and offer assistance if there is a breakdown and situation doesn't appear to present any danger to me. I don't mind helping to change a flat, block traffic, push a car out of the way etc... If it looks like someone needs help its the human thing to call 911. If noone is there you should stop even if you don't know what you are doing. 911 will help you if there is a real bad situation.

Most of all I would stop because if the roles were reversed i would want someone to stop to help me or my kids, or family or friends etc... I am sure all of you would to. Of course in the situation where you are told to continue on or your assistance isn't needed its best to follow the advice of te profesionals.

[ratherboutdoors]

Sorry to hear about your Friend. I heard about that on the news (assuming its the same incident). Unless I recognise the car or the people standing around and if I'm told that all is under control I move on. Some times too many people and cars parked on the side of the road can cause another accident. I am also not trained as a first responder.

[lew]

it rolled and caught FIRE!!.

 

 

so ran for a hammer, smashed out the concious drivers window and got him out.

 

Fantastic job Shayne, be proud of yourself !!

[Rustic-Fisher]

Your friend did the right thing, people had already stopped, and emergency services had been called.

 

Its Tough call not knowing the severity of the crash to offer any opinion or advice as there are so many variables to consider.

 

If anyone does decide to stop and assist, YOURS AND YOUR PASSENGERS SAFTEY IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY.

 

Pull well ahead of the accident or in some circumstances well behind, leave lots of room for rescue crews (we appreciate this)

 

DON'T turn your back on oncoming traffic ( that's why I'd pull ahead and walk facing oncoming traffic) we all know a secondary accident is a real possibility so have an escape path at all times , don't go under or inbetween any of the cars involved. All seems like common sense but its easily forgotten in any type of emergency situation.

 

My wife was involved in a serious head on collision 2 years ago. First people to stop had zero training in first aid, but had cell phones and provided her with the reassurance that 911 was called. She was grateful they stopped.

[NAW]

That is sounds advice Ryan. Things most people would not think about.

[camillj]

Yep .. me too ... actually had a Beemer race past us (on a curve) just as an oncoming car was approaching (that we could see but they obviously couldnt) and as they swerved back into our lane in front of the car I was a passenger in - it flipped onto its roof and did three cartwheels before landing right side up about 50 feet into a farmers field. (This was on the way home from the Kawarthas about 30 years ago - before anyone had cell phones) ... I saw it all happen in slow motion ... watched this car flying end over end and stuff flying out as the trunk popped open .... when the driver of our car stopped the two girls in the front seat ran in the opposite direction (I found out later they were running to the farmhouse to call for help) and I ran straight into the field ... at about 20 steps away I was sure I could see smoke coming from under their hood and there was a strong smell of smell gas .... the driver had already staggered out into the mud but his passenger (a girl in her early twenties) was hanging out the passenger window ... I was sure the car was gonna catch fire - or worse - any second so I grabbed under her arms and dragged her out the window - through the mud about 20 feets away .. I honestly not even sure I remember doing it .... well afterwards I really wondered if I could have done her more harm than good ... but there was real imminent danger in my opinion and as it turned out she walked away with only minor injuries. Of course we were on the scene for several hours and again in court .. but if god forbid it were to happen again ...I would do it again ... perhaps with more experience I would have taken a step back to do more assessment before reacting ...

 

So yes ... I would definitely help ... but in your friends case (and perhaps if it were me) I fully understand that if the folks on the scene appear to have things under control they dont need distraction from other well meaning bystanders and I probably would have left too - after a little pause to see for myself.

[NAW]

Thanks for the comments and stories to far guys.

 

I took my friend out for lunch today, and we had a bit of a talk. Now that he has had time to look back on the situation. He is happy that he did not stop. Seeing his friend in the car like (had he have stopped) is not how he would want to remember her. And with no first aid training, or having dealt with situations like this before, he would feels he would have been more of a hindrance. In his case, he made the right move.

[Muskieman]

Lots of good advice an touching stories here ,

If you don't already , take the time and get some basic training , who knows , the life you might save might be the one of your wife or children a loved one a perfect stranger or even your pet ..

[Rod Caster]

Sad news for the family and all involved...

 

 

I agree with most that unless you know you will be of help (such as making calls or being a hero like Shayne(great job!)), its better to clear the way for those with the expertise.

 

I'll add, that if there are chemicals involved at the scene (like a tanker), do NOT approach and keep yourself and your passengers safe by leaving the scene and calling for help. Lots of chemical vapors are clear and can dull your sense of smell pretty quickly.

[Canuck]

Everyone has do do what they feel the need to, but I think you should stay. People and witnesses go into shock and may not be thinking straight. I have come across two serious crashes in my life as first on the scene. Both times I or my wife had to do CPR until EMS arrived. Neither was fun or successful unfortunately, but I don't have any doubts about what I could have done, which gives a bit of peace.

 

One rant though. One of the times was on the 407 between the QEW and 401. A guy had a heart attack driving with his wife and his truck went off the road about 50yds into the swamp. It was winter so I ran out through knee deep water and mud and snow. Then called 911 on my cell when I saw what happened and started CPR in the truck. Then the frustrating part.

 

EMS arrived and refused to walk out to the truck because they cannot enter the water. I yelled to follow my f'ing footsteps its only mud up to your knee. They said no, they would have to wait for the fire department. After about 5 or 10 min an EMS supervisor arrives and I yell the same thing and say that I have very old CPR training and they need to come out and now. The supervisor finally tells one of he EMS us to go out to relieve me.

I carry the wife back to the side of the road to the other EMS guy. Apologies to all the EMS guys on this board, but the lack of ability under policy for an EMS guy to use judgment is crazy. I don't think the old guy would have lived anyway, but its nuts for a qualified EMS guy to watch from 50 yes away while a civilian does CPR at a crash site.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Canuck

[icedude]

Fantastic job Shayne, be proud of yourself !!

x2

 

Well done...you're a brave man.

 

Paul