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

[kemper]

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.

 

 

Thanks Lew.

 

I always stop - but only offer assistance where I can. I have ZERO medical training, and have no place helping a trauma victim.

 

In the past I've called 911 (first on the scene), helped an elderly woman who as uninjured to my warm car (middle of January), and helped to direct traffic through an intersection.

 

Unfortunately stopping to help has landed me in court twice as a witness. Both times I was the only one involved in the case that actually showed up. Talk about a waste of your day.

[Radnine]

I have been fortunate thus far and never have come across a fresh bad accident. In fact, I have never had to drive by a real bad one period. But when I do drive by a pile up, or a truck roll over, or any other cause of traffic delay, I usually wonder "What moron has caused this?"

Jim

[ckrb2007]

I once witnessed a brutal pedestrian vs. cube van accident in Markham. I was the first one on the scene. The pedestrian was hit crossing the road legally......the cube van ran a red, ran over the gentleman and wedged him up into the wheel well. (a sight I will never forget). It was an asian man who couldn't speak english who got hit. The driver got out and started trying to pull the man out of the wheel well with all his might and I had to tackle him to get him to stop. He was in shock I assume. After police, fire, and ems arrived, my info was taken, everyone thanked me and 2 yrs later I was summoned to court. The man survived, the driver was charged. I'm glad that I did what I did but it wasn't a pretty sight to see. I'd like to think I had a part in saving the guy's life or at least from a more serious spinal/neck injury.

[NAW]

People really do lose their minds in situations like this.

 

I was talking about this to my Mom yesterday She was doing the long drive from T.O to Pickle Lake about 30 years ago. The guy driving ahead of her fell asleep and drove off the road. Smashed hard into a rock cut. The guy popped out of the car instantaneously (she thinks he was thrown from the vehicle) and made his was up to the road where my Mom was standing. She asked if the guy was OK. He said "Yes, everything is fine, I am Ok".. Then he fell over dead. Something my Mom has never told me about before.. Me and my sister where asleep in the car.

[BillM]

Great examples as to why you should leave the work to the professionals. Shock can be a very scary thing, even if you aren't involved in the accident.

[ckrb2007]

The funny thing with my experience was that the weekend prior to it, I had taken St. Johns First Aid for my hockey trainers certificate. Came in handy that day.

[ch312]

call me crazy, but i honestly believe basic medical training and some sort accident scene control should be part of obtaining a drivers license. even if you're not willing to physically help an accident victim, at least you'd be able to help control the scene and help prevent further damage to the victims. it could also help you save yourself or passengers in your own vehicle one day. i'd say the majority of drivers are totally clueless when it comes to an accident and helping others.

 

how about first aid kits and some minor safety gear? it's mandatory in a boat and i dont think any of us have an issue with that. why not apply the same to passenger vehicles?

[icedude]

Hear Yah brantford....don't profess to have any meaningful answers here btw for the 'jump on the rabbit ' lurkers that visit this place @ OFC

 

Kool thread though

 

Let me share something with you Channel 13..comming back last week from shift--from my place of business---am on Hwy # 48---near # 18 the cut off to Sibbald's Point Provincial Park.

 

Some guy --mid 40's on sliders--dumps his sleigh just under a guard rail--just before that mobile Fish-and Chips Shop on 48

 

Sled was ancient--he is NOT hurt-Sled is leaking fluids--some moron on scene is smoking a cigarette--NP--smoke bud--just not NOW !

 

 

Two cars on scene

 

Stopped right?--Comes with my territory!-You would have too

 

Left--he was fine--in my rear-mirror --two good dudes/duttes STOP--Ford 150--Chains out

 

There are good people in this World

 

 

Have a good week man

 

 

ID1

[moxie]

Quote:

 

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.

You just never know.

Edited March 22, 2013 by moxie

[Fisherman]

Everyone makes their choices, some based on feeling, some based on training and some probably in between. I have no qualms stopping to aid and often having an extra hand even if it's not trained can make a big difference. It's moments like that, you grit your teeth and get on with it.

[danc]

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 ..

Great advice Randy. I did a two day Red Cross first aid course just two weeks ago. Took up my entire weekend. But at least I have some basic knowledge about saving a life until the pros arrive. Like you said, something as simple as choking could happen at home tomorrow.

[icedude]

Everyone makes their choices, some based on feeling, some based on training and some probably in between. I have no qualms stopping to aid and often having an extra hand even if it's not trained can make a big difference. It's moments like that, you grit your teeth and get on with it.

Yes Sir--you never fail to inspire 'Fisherman'

 

Keep on Keepin on Partner and--favour if doable--my personal Best. to GBF

 

Paul

[fishing n autograph]

Was at a collision tonight and if my witness hadn't done CPR on one of the drivers we would have had a fatality

[Rich]

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.

100% agree, you dont know what the heck happened to the people in an accident, you are not trained. You could be tampering with things, hindering and hurting people by trying to help, and not realize it.

 

It wasn't "everything's fine" that he had to listen to, it was "EMS is on the way". That should be, and was, enough.

[spinnerbaitking]

Stopped quite a few times & would do it again in a second, have had 1st aid & CPR several times & would advice everybody to take it, you never know when or were you could use it, try to always have a 1st aid kit & blankets in my vehicles, never seen anything crazy but a couple of rolled cars & we were leaving Blyth & a car was flying down the main street going north, witnesses said it was doing between 100 & 120km/hr in town, we had the car pass us with the brakes locked up & the tires screaming I didn't see it I just turned to my right off the road & it hit a car turning left 2 cars in front of us, the car in front of us just swerved around them & kept going, 3 adults in the 1 car had concussions, broken collar bone, shock, the other car hit them & traveled down the snow bank for quite the distance, a neighbor hollered what do we need & I said call 911 & request the fire department as they didn't always dispatch them in our part of the province, a nurse was about 4 car behind us & 1 was 4 blocks away & saw the car flying threw town & heard the crash, there were 7 calls to 911 already from people that this guy had passed from Vanastra to Blyth & some of them came onto the accident, 1 man was very upset & started threatening the driver, by now the Nurses had taken over the injured & I had control of the scene (Traffic & Bystanders) I told the guy to cross the street or he'd wish he did, Fire Department arrived shortly after, then the EMS arrived & then the OPP, the Guy who was so mad went to the OPP & was told to go across the road & wait & he would talk to him when he could, 7 of us ended up at court & waited for hours to finally be told that they had a plea bargain & the driver was schizophrenic & had been hospitalized & lost his licence for life. Always Rural area that I've been involved with accidents.

Kudos to all that have stopped Tight Lines SBK

 

PS: You need to make the decision you can live with.

[danc]

100% agree, you dont know what the heck happened to the people in an accident, you are not trained. You could be tampering with things, hindering and hurting people by trying to help, and not realize it.

 

It wasn't "everything's fine" that he had to listen to, it was "EMS is on the way". That should be, and was, enough.

My advice is to get trained. Someone that sacrificed a weekend to get training could save your life. You should probably do the same.

[Moosebunk]

Stopped last year on HWY 7 where it meets 15 near Carleton Place. Had turned onto 7 heading east and was accelerating where the passing lanes begin. Car passing car then bus in left lane, I guess surprised the car driver in the right lane wanting to pull out to pass a Greyhound bus in front of it. Right lane driver swerved too hard to get back to right lane once realizing she was about to cut off/hit the passing car, and in slow motion (it seemed) from behind I watched her completely flip her car airborne, have it land on wheels again after quickly rolling off the driver side door, then it spun and backed into the ditch. The bus stopped and driver came running out, and I stopped too.

 

Airbag deployed, glass all over, groceries a mess in the back, drivers side door crunched in only slight (PT Cruiser rental), we excavated (she was actually trying to get out) a young female driver from the car and laid her down in the box of a truck. Other people then on scene, the bus driver announced he had First Aid training and took control as first responder. Thinking about it, it was right to do so... and before I knew it, he had sent a bus passenger back to the bus for blankets. We waited for paramedics to arrive.

 

It was at this point waiting; and although shaken up but warming up, I began to assess the driver. In the back of the truck I was able to assess her GCS (15) and begin a partial cranial nerve exam and search for injuries. It was then the bus driver asked what the heck I was doing, and I let him know I work in emergency. The paramedics arrived and a good crew got her on board and took her to Carleton Place. It was solid.

 

 

Second accident last year... I was returning from Kingston to Perth after being responsible for the care and transfer of an elderly female who was suffering a heart attack, and needed angio and heart surgery immediately. A tricky transfer medication wise to keep her stable we got her there in good time and left for home base.

 

I wanted to stop near Seeley's Bay with the paramedics to grab a coffee and a piece of delicious pie the roadside restaurant serves. Unfortunately, right as we were turning in the medics got called to an MVC in Portland, and because of our proximity we were possibly going to be first or second on scene. Car hits motorcycle with two passengers.

 

Lights and sirens we zipped there and arrived same time as the other crew. Police and fire were on scene already, and these amazing volunteers had basically shut down the road, kept the building crowd at bay, and, at a nearby school piloned off a landing area for ORNGE air medics to land.

 

Driver of the car was not at fault... nobody was really. And speed wasn't really much of an issue either. Older male driver of the bike suffered an ankle fracture. Young female passenger on the bike was in a little rougher shape.

 

Weird thing is, I had no real authority to help, but after stepping out of the ambulance being the only one in greens with a stethoscope around my neck, fire, police and half the medics thought I was the MD. Allowed to assist, in triage I simply asked who was the worst off and was then ushered over to the girl by a firefighter. Her just laying there on the yellow line, and people waiting for medics to board and collar, land ambulance had been told air was on the way for her as she could be critical. In my assessment then of the patient, I had to agree. In fact, mechanism of injury alone would dictate CAT scan of the head was at the very least needed.

 

She had a head injury, although GCS was altered likely due more to bodily injury, rather than head. She couldn't move lower right extremities. She was actually quite with it mentally and handling things well. More concerning, lower abdominal contusions to her right side, and when assessing hip and pelvis her pain was through the roof. She likely need CT of the abdomen to rule out internal bleeding, and some pictures of her bones.

 

We took her, put her in the ambulance and transferred to the air pick-up point. Air crew wanted me to give report and I almost started too then realized I'm not really responsible and backed off. Land and air crew are excellent anywhere I've worked in this province, we are lucky to have our lives in their quick and capable hands.

 

Never did hear anything on our patient... but, a couple weeks later, the lady whom we transfered down to KGH for heart surgery, wrote a letter to the EMC newspaper and a thank you to Jo (medic), the other medic and myself for a job well done.

 

 

Now... if you think you should or shouldn't stop on the road to help someone... you should. If there's dozens of people aready standing around, then maybe not. But if you can be one of the first dozen on scene, trained or not, you could be helpful. And in some cases, any little thing you can do can make a big difference in bettering the outcome and safety during a bad situation.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Moosebunk

[danc]

Well said Drew. For the amount of driving that I do in the Northwest of the province (over 700 miles last week), I've been lucky to not have come across such a scene. Bottom line here is that everyone should have basic first aid training. Take a weekend out of your life ang get training. You can either save a life, or have your life saved.

[lew]

Never did hear anything on our patient... but, a couple weeks later, the lady whom we transfered down to KGH for heart surgery, wrote a letter to the EMC newspaper and a thank you to Jo (medic), the other medic and myself for a job well done.

 

We almost never followed up on any incident we were ever involved in either Drew, whether car accident or anything else, but every now and then we'd receive a letter of thanks which is always nice. The odd time too, if the person was local to the station, they'd even stop in to say thanks in person.

[Rich]

My advice is to get trained. Someone that sacrificed a weekend to get training could save your life. You should probably do the same.

I AM trained in first aid and CPR. The training entails keeping everyone calm, and calling paramedics. CPR is to only be used in a very worst case scenario, to keep a victim alive long enough until proper care arrives.

[NBR]

My wife is a registered EMT. Here in the states they are required to stop and provide assistance until relieved by other EMT/Paramedics responsible for the area of the accident. She always has some first aid gear in the car with her. EMT's first responsibility is, "Is the scene safe" ? If not wait until the hazard(s) are removed.