Back to Home Page - Safety
Main Index
VEHICLE
CRASHES
Unfortunately, vehicle
crashes occur. Most often citizen will be at the scene of a crash before fire
units are there, and it is important that they know what to do correctly or,
in some cases, what not to do.
- Be sure that
someone has called 9-1-1.
- Is the scene
itself life-threatening? For example, a car hits a tanker that is now leaking
an unknown substance. Since you are dealing with an unknown, the patient should
immediately be removed a safe distance from the leak regardless of his condition.
As best as possible, however, immobilize the patient's head and neck during
movement.
- If the scene
is not immediately life-threatening, assess the patient's condition and manage
critical situations first. Does the patient have a clear airway? Is the patient
breathing? Is there excessive bleeding?
- If you know
CPR, and the patient needs it, administer it immediately. If there is excessive
bleeding anywhere, apply direct pressure to the wound with a dry, clean cloth.
- If there is
no immediate danger to the patient and he doesn't need any management of the
ABC's, do nothing. Keep the patient as he is in the vehicle until fire units
can get on the scene. There may be cervical spine damage of which you are
unaware, and movement by the patient could only make it worse. Many times,
people who have just been in a car crash will want to jump out of the car
and move about. But, as best as you are able, keep them still.
- The scene can
be a combination of environmental hazards such as downed electrical wires,
unknown substance leakage, gasoline spills, fire. If you are on the scene
before law enforcement officers or fire units, be aware of such dangers.
- Often, spilled
gasoline is present. Allow no smoking. Turn all vehicle ignitions off.
- If the car is
on fire, and firefighting personnel have not yet arrived, decide if you can
remove the passengers quickly enough or whether you should fight the fire.
If the passengers are not trapped, move them first. If they cannot be extricated
quickly, deal with the fire. The main cause of most vehicle fires after a
crash is from a ruptured fuel tank or fuel lines that have been ignited by
internal or external sources. The most common ignition point, however, is
under the hood, which rarely presents a serious hazard to vehicle occupants
unless combustion is enhanced by gasoline. Most under hood fires will not
spread unless fueled by an external source.
- Once emergency
units do arrive, tell them what you know and then get out of their way. They
are trained professionals and know what to do from that point.
top
Home
Page - Safety
Main Index