This information is intended to be a start in educating
yourself on what to do if you encounter an accident. This information should
not be viewed as an authoritative source of medical advice.
You should take
further steps to educate yourself, such as taking certified CPR classes, a Red
Cross First Aid class, talking to your doctor or local fire department/rescue
squad. Practice routines so you are familiar with hand positions, etc. These
are only suggestions, each situation may warrant different responses. When riding your motorcycle, it is your
responsibility to have the proper knowledge, experience, and equipment to
travel safely.
Remember A B C 911 =
Airway, Breathing, Circulation + call 911
What do you do if you are
riding with friends and they are involved in an accident? Even if you are not
a paramedic or a doctor, there are some actions you can take that may save your
friend's life. The more people you ride with, the
more people who can help out if there is an emergency.
Many injuries that can occur
are highly visible: road rash, a bleeding laceration of the head, or a broken
leg bone that is sticking out of the skin. However, there are many injuries that
can't be seen, such as some spinal injuries, closed head injuries and internal
bleeding. It is very important in any crash, especially a motorcycle crash,
since there is little protection to the rider, that the injured need to hospitalize . They may feel fine and look fine, but nonetheless be injured enough
to cause death later.
Secure the crash site: If injured people are still on the road, stop traffic
from coming into the crash site. DO NOT MOVE INJURED PEOPLE OUT OF THE ROAD,
LEAVE THEM WERE THEY ARE UNLESS THEY ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER BY BEING AT THAT
LOCATION. Use traffic cones, flares, and reflectors or simply stop the traffic
yourself, but being aware of your own safety also. Once traffic is stopped, try
to seek assistance from someone to hold the traffic back, as some people may
lose patience and try to drive through. Make sure there is enough room for
traffic to stop before reaching the crash site, especially if it occurs in a
turn, where the line of sight is short.
Next, you can attend to the
injured. ALWAYS ASSUME INJURY TO THE SPINAL CORD OR HEAD HAS OCCURRED AND LIMIT
THE AMOUNT OF MOVEMENT OF THE INJURED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, EVEN IF THEY INSIST
THEY ARE FINE OR CAN WALK. THE SPINAL CORD CONTAINS NERVES THAT CONTROL
BREATHING, SO SPINAL INJURY NOT ONLY COULD CAUSE PARALYSIS OF MUSCLES, BUT
COULD ALSO BE LIFE THREATENING BY PREVENTING BREATHING.
ABC:
Airway: Opening and
clearing the airway DO NOT REMOVED THE HELMET.
Breathing: Make sure that the victim is breathing; the brain can
only take 4 minutes of oxygen deprivation before brain damage begins to occur.
Circulation
- applying direct pressure to uncontrolled bleeding and checking for
a heartbeat and treating for shock are imperative. Detailed directions are below.
Call 911: If you are able, make the call and administer to ABC
at the same time. Use your cell phone or a close land based phone. Give as much
information about your location as needed. Ask the dispatcher if they could
receive your location through a GPS signal on your phone.
Positioning and Spinal
Support: Spinal injury can occur, but
the injured may initially feel fine. Unnecessary movement may make the injury
worse; it is best to leave the person where they are unless they are in
immediate danger. The most stable position for the spine is lying on the back.
This also makes it easier to perform CPR if necessary and helps if they are in
shock. If they try to walk around, help them lay down. If they are laying down
on their side, or face down, carefully roll them onto their back. This will
require three people. IF AT ANY TIME THE INJURED PERSON COMPLAINS OF PAIN
OR LOSES SENSATIONS IN A PART OF THE BODY WHILE DOING THIS PROCEDURE, STOP
IMMEDIATELY.
1. Positioning: With
as little movement as possible, position the injured person's arms straight
down at their side. Position their legs straight down, which will keep their
spine straight.
2. Have one person, First Responder 1 kneel above
their head – facing their feet and hold their head or helmet. Hold their head
or helmet with your pointer finger just above the spine in the back of the head
and your thumb toward their chin and other fingers under their head. A second
person, Responder 2 kneels to the injured person's side and hold their
arms and chest while a third person, Responder 3 kneels to the same side
and holds their legs.
3. In a single coordinated move, roll the person over their back while supporting their head – keeping their neck straight and
untitled – and keeping their back straight and supported. This is done by Responders
2 & 3 pulling on the far side of the injured person's arms and legs
toward them to roll them over onto their back, while the
head is supported by Responder 1 and turned along with the body to keep
it aligned with the spine.
4. If you are the only person available, try to roll the
person over keeping their head, neck and spine aligned by using a board.
Helmet Removal: Casualties should remove their own helmets wherever
possible. Only remove the helmet if the injured are not breathing or the airway
is obstructed. This should be done with extreme caution and without movement of
the neck (cervical spine). Removal of the helmet will always require two first
responders.
1. Responder
1, the
person supporting the head stays where they are, and Responder 2, the
person supporting the arms and chest moves up to the injured person's neck,
while still kneeling to their side. Responder 1 takes hold of the helmet
on the sides with their fingers over the lower edge of the helmet.
2. Responder
2 unbuckles
the chin strap and puts one hand under the injured person's neck, with their
pointer finger and thumb holding the base of their head, with their other hand
holding the jaw.
3. Responder
1 spreads
the sides of the helmet as much as possible and rotates the helmet, face side
towards them, to clear the nose, then presses in on the sides of the helmet to
support the head right before fully removing the helmet.
4. Responder
2 moves
the hand that is under the neck, up to position it under the head – to trade
off with the responder who is supporting the head when the helmet is completely
taken off.
5. Responder
1 then
rotates the helmet the other way to completely remove it while Responder 2 supports
the head.
6. After the helmet is
off Responder 2 places the head down on the ground so that it is aligned with
the spine
Breathing: Check to see if the person is breathing.
Is their chest moving? Can you hear them breathe? Can they talk or can you feel
their breath if you put your cheek in front of their face or on their chest? If
they are breathing, then check for bleeding.
Unconscious and Not Breathing: Open their mouth to
see if they are choking on anything, like broken teeth or typically the tongue.
Carefully remove any objects by placing your pointer finger in their mouth and
with a sweeping or hooking motion remove the object. You may want to hold a
solid object between their teeth that is wider than your finger in case they try
to bite you. If a person vomits when they are on their back, use extreme
caution and roll the person to the side to wipe out the mouth, keeping the
head, neck and spine in line as you roll them. If a choice has to be made – life
cannot be sustained without oxygen.
Once you are sure they are not choking, gently lift their
chin, which moves the jaw forward and tilts the head backward. This is done by
kneeling above their head and putting your index finger at the base of their
jaw, near where it joins to the skull and place your thumb next to the ridge of
their eye and lift their jaw upward. Do not push the forehead to tilt the head,
as this could cause more injury to the neck, head or spine. If the person has a
severe injury to the mouth, then ventilate through the nose while keeping the
injured person's mouth sealed shut.
1. If they do not start breathing on their own, start
ventilation.
2. Pinch their nose closed, then blow slowly twice in their
mouth, making sure to have an airtight seal. Check to see if their chest rises
as you blow into their mouth and that air comes out when you stop blowing. If
air does not go in, re-position and try again. Still not, check for more
obstructions. Keep repeating until the air successfully fills the chest.
3. Next, check for a heartbeat. Check the carotid artery in
the neck. Place your index and middle finger on top of the hard trachea in the
middle of the neck, then move your fingers to the far side of the trachea,
there will be a band of muscle on the side. Slide your fingers up along the
junction of the hard trachea and the band of muscle toward the jaw, stop when
you run into the tissue under the jaw and feel for a pulse in the area where the
trachea, a band of muscle and tissue under the jaw meet. Check for a pulse for
at least 15 seconds. CHECKING FOR A HEART BEAT MUST BE DONE QUICKLY TO
DETERMINE IF THE CHEST COMPRESSION PART OF CPR IS NEEDED.
4. If no heartbeat is found, do chest compression's Expose
the chest, using your middle and index fingers, find the bottom of the ribs on
both sides. Follow the ribs up toward the head to the point where the ribs join
the breastbone. This point is called the Xiphoid Process . With your
middle finger on this point, place your index finger on the sternum itself.
Slide the heel of your other hand down the sternum until it reaches your index
finger. This should be the middle of the lower half of the sternum. The second
hand is positioned over the first and the fingers of the second hand entwine or
interlock the first. Ensure that pressure is not applied over the casualty's
ribs and that there is no pressure exerted over the upper abdomen or the bottom tip
of the sternum. Position your body directly above the casualty's chest and,
arms straight, press down on the sternum with two hands between 4-5 cm. Release
all the pressure without losing contact between the hand and sternum. Compress
at a rate of about two compression's a second, 15 times in a row. Then check to
see if the injured person is breathing, if not, then blow 2 times in their
mouth, Repeat the chest compression's and blowing in the mouth until help
arrives or the injured person starts to breath on their own, checking their
breathing between each cycle.
Current CPR guidelines for 1 person CPR suggest a 30:2 ratio for compression to ventilation.
Bleeding : if the injured person is breathing, then
check for bleeding. If any obvious bleeding is seen, use a sterile bandage if
possible to cover the area bleeding and apply direct pressure to the bleeding
wound (ice in a plastic bag or a chemical ice pack that is activated by
crushing, may also be applied to small wounds to help stop bleeding, especially
for a nose bleed). If you suspect a skull fracture, DO NOT apply direct
pressure to the bleeding face or head. If bleeding is occurring in an arm or
leg, try to elevate it above the chest by placing a blanket or clothing under
it. The only applies if the limb is not fractured. Keep pressure on until help
arrives. If there are multiple bleeding wounds, have other people help, or tape
bandages or compression gauze down to the wound wrapping the tape/gauze around
the body to make it as tight as possible. YOU SHOULD HAVE VINYL GLOVES TO KEEP
THE INJURED PERSON'S BLOOD FROM CONTACTING YOU, IF THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE,
LEATHER GLOVES OR CLOTHS MAY OFFER SOME PROTECTION.
o Abrasions - try to clean as much as possible and
bandage
o Punctures - clean and apply bandage if no foriegn
object is inside - Do not remove objects!
o Avulsions - loss of a body part - stop bleeding and
find missing body part. Try to clean carefully and either put on ice in a
plastic bag or keep next to person's skin.
o Incisions - stop bleeding with compress bandages,
pressure or pressure bandages
o Lacerations - stop bleeding with compress bandages,
pressure or pressure bandages
Shock : Treat for shock before checking for shock and
even if the victim is not showing signs of shock. Shock is life threatening.
SHOCK COULD BE CAUSED BY A LOSS OF BLOOD NESSECITATING REPLACMENT OF LOST
FLUIDS, THIS MUST BE DONE INTRAVENIOUSLY BY A PARAMEDIC – DO NOT TRY TO REPLACE
LOST FLUIDS BY HAVING THE INJURED PERSON DRINK WATER, THIS DOES NOT WORK FAST
ENOUGH AND MAY CAUSE CHOKING. Cover them with a blanket; clothing, your rain
gear, jacket, etc can be used. If possible, gently elevate their feet by
placing clothing or a blanket underneath them, if possible, do the same to
their hands, so that their feet and hands are higher than their chest. IF
ELEVATING THEIR FEET AND HANDS WILL CAUSE MOVMENT OF THEIR SPINE OR CAUSES PAIN
IN THEIR BACK OR NECK, STOP IMMEDIATELY AND RETURN THEM TO THEIR STRAIGHTENED
POSITION. DO NOT ELEVATE THEIR HEAD. DO NOT ELEVATE THE INJURED PERSON'S LEGS
IF YOU SUSPECT A SPINAL OR HEAD INJURY. To check for shock: Notice if the skin
is pale looking and may feel cold and clammy. If their heartbeat feels weak,
and breathing shallow and irregular, they may be in shock. Lastly, notice the
color the skin under their thumbnail. Press the thumb so that skin becomes pale
and count
Broken Bone: Broken bones are less life threatening
than the injuries addressed above. Severely broken bones can be seen by an
abnormal shape of the body or bone protruding out of the skin. Less severe
broken bones may be noticed by bleeding under the skin and pain. Splinting the
broken bone may help alleviate pain and prevent further damage. As a general
rule, don't move a broken bone; splint it in the position it was found.
However, if an arm or leg is broken and the rest of the limb further away from
the body feels numb or a heartbeat may not be felt (as felt on the wrist or
ankle) then it might be better to straighten it. If a bone is sticking out of
the skin however, never try to push it back in.
1. When warranted, you may try to gently align the broken
bone, but, if pain occurs while straightening stop immediately and splint in
the position it is in.
2. If part of the bone is sticking out of the skin, cover it
with a damp (with sterile water or the injured person's own blood) sterile
gauze.
3. Splinting is done by taping a semi sturdy object along the
axis of the bone that is broken. A stick, or rolled up blanket could be used.
For fingers and toes, tape the broken finger to a neighboring unbroken finger.
4. If an elbow or knee is broken, you may splint with the
joint bent and the supporting object laid across the bones above and below the
break as to make an “A” with the bone making the sides and splint making the
middle.
5. Ice in a plastic bag should also be applied to the broken
area to prevent swelling and pain.
Eye Injury: An injured eye is not usually life
threatening, but may cause blindness. If the eye looks injured, or there is
bruising around the eye or bleeding from the nose and eye pain, cover both eyes
with a sterile gauze and a light blocking material (like a piece of leather) to
prevent the injured person from moving their eyes around which could cause
further damage.
Pressure Bandage for Bleeding Wounds
The first thing to do is clean the area as well as you can.
Apply a compress, applying pressure with your hands.
If the wound continues to bleed through the compress, apply
more on top of the compress you are using. Do NOT remove the first compress. If
the wound continues to bleed and you cannot put continuous pressure on it,
apply a pressure bandage. Find a long narrow strip of cloth. You may have to
rip a piece of clothing. Start by placing the center of the cloth directly over
the compress on the wound.
Major Closed Head Injury
If the victim has a major closed head injury, swelling of
the brain may start to occur which may or may not always occur immediately. If
help is delayed, it may result in prolonged or non-reversible brain damage. The
problem is that the swelling and bleeding will not be able to expand within the
skull. Since the skull cannot stretch to relieve the pressure, the fluid and
swelling ends up compressing the brain, compounding any initial damage in the
original trauma. This pressure is called inter-cranial pressure
"ICP."
Symptoms of raised ICP :
• Loss of consciousness, confusion, or drowsiness
• Low
breathing rate or drop in blood pressure • Convulsions
• Fracture in the skull
or face, facial bruising, swelling at the site of the injury, or scalp wound
•
Fluid drainage from nose, mouth, or ears (may be clear or bloody)
• Severe
headache
• Initial improvement followed by worsening symptoms
• Restlessness,
clumsiness, lack of coordination
• Slurred speech or blurred vision
• Inability
to move one or more limbs
• Stiff neck or vomiting
• Pupil changes
•
Inability to hear, see, taste, or smell
• Irritability (especially in
children), personality changes, or unusual behavior
