Accident Scenes: "At First Do No
Harm"
by Eric Sondeen (2004-5 High Country Chapter Colorado #422 Safety
Officer)
"Splint 'em where they lay!" and "At first, do no harm"
both refer to minimizing the movement of injured persons prior to on-scene
medical care by paramedics. As high mileage High Country HOG members,
it is only a matter of time before we will be in a position to help
out one of our injured visitors or another motorist.
As a motorcyclist, we are riding around on a vehicle that is stable
while moving and not very stable while stopped. Our first duty at an
accident site is to insure OUR bike is in a safe location, the bike
is shut off, and the kickstand is down.
Our next duty is to check for scene safety-are flammable fuels down
or is traffic headed toward us? An on-coming car moving 60 MPH requires
a full football field or 100 yards to stop in good weather. "Flag"
on-coming traffic to slow or stop, first in the lane affected, and second
in the other lanes. Only in a dire circumstance is it necessary to move
an injured person-this would be something like a "line-of-sight"
issue with the injured person on the roadway and limited personnel to
help out.
Third, we assess the injured person and insure they have an airway.
Speaking to someone and getting a verbal reply is a successful airway
evaluation-often that's all it takes. If they can talk then they can
breathe!
Last, we can evaluate extent of injuries and level of responsiveness-does
the individual know "time/person/place", are they confused,
are they unconscious? Perform a head to toe survey and either ask or
visibly check for injuries. Stop any severe bleeding by direct pressure
or pressure points-tourniquets are no longer recommended.
Help should be summoned as soon as possible. Provide the highway route
number and the mile marker if you know it. Give your cell phone or telephone
call back number, and state the who/what/where of the emergency.
Be certain to evaluate everyone involved in the incident-just because
someone is up and walking does not rule out serious injuries. A confused
accident victim or even a responder can wander into the path of on-coming
traffic.
Helmets should only be removed if there is no other way to secure and
provide an airway.
For more first aid training, check the American Red Cross or American
Heart Association. Highly motivated riders can take the State of Colorado
Emergency Medical Technician training at area community colleges or
hospitals.
American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/
Colorado CPR Association/ American Heart Assn http://www.cocprassn.org/
State of Colorado EMT http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/em/Training/Training_Approved.asp
Techniques of Helmet Removal from Injured Patients (PDF download pamphlet)
http://www.facs.org/trauma/publications/helmet.pdf
Master Strategy Group; Motorcycle Safety-See Number 86 under Tips and
Techniques "First Aid Kit" http://www.msgroup.org/DISCUSS.asp
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