If you come across a road accident on your travels your actions may help to save a life. Remember these tips.
Assess the scene
Protect those involved and yourself from further injury by:
- Parking your vehicle in a safe location and turning on your hazard lights as a warning to other drivers.
- Wear something light coloured or reflective if you can before getting out of your vehicle.
- Before approaching the vehicles involved in the crash, check for hazards such as fallen power lines, leaking fluids (it could be petrol), smoke or fire, loose or hazardous cargo or even injured animals that might become aggressive.
- Ensure no one is smoking at the scene.
- If fallen power lines are touching a car, stay away and tell anyone in the car to stay still.
- If it is safe to do so, approach the cars and any other people and find out if there are any injuries.
- Make sure the police, fire and ambulance are called. See ‘Calling for help’.
Assisting those involved
Often if you come across an accident people will already be out of their cars and may be in shock. A simple calming voice and some reassurance may be all that is needed, while you arrange to get help, but sometimes they may be more severely injured.
See how many people are injured; look in all the cars checking back and front seats. Some people may have got out themselves so look around for dazed or confused people.
Look for unconscious or non-responsive people and ask simple questions like ‘What is your name?’
If you discover someone like this, you need to:
- Airway - check and clear the airway by tilting the head straight back (don’t turn the head to the side)
- Breathing - look, listen and feel. Watch their chest to see if rises and falls, listen for the sound of them breathing and feel near their nose or mouth for a breath. If they are not breathing you need to assist by giving them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
- Circulation – make sure their heart is beating and stop any bleeding. Check for a pulse. If there isn’t one perform CPR. Look for any signs of major bleeding and, if you are able, feel for wet patches. Stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure to the wound. Bandage and elevate it if you can.
Anyone injured and still in a vehicle (conscious or unconscious) should not be removed from the vehicle unless they are in danger of further injury, as that risks making their injuries worse.
Remember anyone yelling or screaming at the scene can clearly breathe but an unconscious person could drown in their own vomit or blood.
Calling for help
Once you have gathered the information above, you need to call for assistance by telephoning 000 (triple zero). This is a free call anywhere in Australia, even from mobile phones. When you call you will be asked the following questions:
- Police, Fire or Ambulance? If you think more than one is required and there are injured people, you should ask for Ambulance first.
- You will be asked what your location is and if you are on a mobile, which State you are in. Give the name of the road you are on and the nearest street intersection or other landmark such as a kilometre post.
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You will be asked about the injured people.
- How many people are injured?
- How old they are?
- Are they are conscious and breathing?
- Are they trapped in their vehicle?
- Once the call taker has despatched an Ambulance to assist you, they will ask if there is any leaking fluids or other hazards such as power lines down.
If you don’t have a mobile or you are not in a coverage area you may need to send someone to get help. Flag down a passer by if you have to, give them all the information you have gathered, but never leave an unconscious person.
If you witnessed the accident or were the first on scene you should remain until the police arrive and explain to them what you saw and did.
Do you have a first aid qualification? Every driver should have one.