Ways to help during a motorcycle accident

[Dag Loke]

I'd like to share this article I found while researching on what to do when you come across a motorcycle accident. I feel that everyone of us would want to help in some way if we see a fellow brother or sister fall. But how to do it the right way without causing further harm is important too.

 

http://www.molenda.com/accident.html#one

 

Wanted to cnp the contents of the website here but there would be copyright issues.

[GuiNNeSS]

Want to cry liao.

 

Type type so much....and it didnt post.

[GuiNNeSS]

If you are hoping to help divert traffic from the accident scene:

 

Have your bike/car function as a barricade between yourself waving in the dark road with dark colour riding jackets and a small torch light. AGAINST the oncoming traffic.

 

ie. Accident scene. 5-10 metres. You. 5-10 metres. Your bikes. Traffic flowing along the road.

 

Even if its a lighted road. Have your headlights tune onto the accident scene to illuminate the accident scene. If you want to save your bike/car headlights energy. THEN DONT BORTHER TO HELP!

 

DO NOT USE YOUR PUNY DARK RIDING JACKET CLAD PERSON AS A PROTECTION! Waving a small torchlight to warn oncoming traffic about accidents/obstruction is just likely to kill you or cause more problem for the accident victim.

[GuiNNeSS]

If you are stopping to help at the Road Shoulder in Malaysia. Dont CLUSTER! Standing in the dark, with your dark riding jackets and pants (Yes, I know dark colours dont show off dirt and looks very cool on person. Yes I favoured dark clothes so I can look slimmer too.) But it means that drivers cant see you. Blardy hell, even in daylights, they see you as showdows of trees of something.

 

So in the day or night. If you must stop at the road shoulder and does nothing but worry about the accident victim. Make sure your bikes/Cars are parked nicely at the road shoulder, forming a decent barricade of warning should some idiots try to plow into your parked vehicles.

 

If possible, Turn on all signal lights and train the headlights to illuminate the cluster of you standing there helpless, trying to use the cell phones to call for help, and use of the headlights to help illuminate the accident scenes so other drivers will be curious enough to slow down and see what is 'glowing' at a distance.

[GuiNNeSS]

Do not always try to tug off the unconsious accident victim's helmet! Sometimes, the helmet of the unconsious victim is holding in the brain swelling of the victim!

 

Unless you are a brain surgeon and is prepared to immediate handle the brain swelling and cut into the fella's brain. Dont automatically remove the helmet!

[GuiNNeSS]

If you have to remove anything off the accident victim. remove the gloves and the boots and socks. Monitor those extremeties (I think my spelling is wrong.)

 

If the fingers and feet are turning blue. Check pulse and breathing! Massage the muscles and joints to ease oxygen flow, or you should start light CPR! (Dont hit the victim or press on the chests or so on. Just make sure breathing is smooth & blow air first!) Dont immediately start assaulting the victim by breaking their ribs for them!

[GuiNNeSS]

If you are standing at the road shoulders....and there is a severed arms, fingers or limbs on the tarmac.

 

Be nice. use your cellphones. call whoever you can reach with a trasnport that can get to your place. Have them stop at 7-11 and buy a couple packs of ice cubes and bring along large clean plastic bags. (Inform the police & ambulance too, if you can.)

 

Try to mark the areas of where the limbs landed, take pictures and help to put the severed limbs into ice. Use your jacket or the victims clothing to cradle the iced limbs as much as possible. Have the ambulance transport the same limbs to hospital. Who knows. The limbs might be possible to be re-attached.

 

You can subsequently help to submit the pictures of the limbs, its landed location to the traffic/insurance investigation officers (usually for Singapore).

[GuiNNeSS]

This is probably overkill.

 

But is there any riding trips, along NSH, that caters to riding to workable private hospitals along the NSH to source out the location, distance & contact details?

 

Should there be a new list of private hospitals with private ambulance that folks can call and summon private ambulances for accident victims along NSH?

[ruztyryan]

i sorely missed my traffic duties days....

[GuiNNeSS]

i sorely missed my traffic duties days....

 

I do not.

 

Arriving at the hospital or morque, to see families crying always starts me crying too. I hate the emotional contagion.

[JSCJL]

Firstly, scene management, park your car/bike right behind the accident site, leave your lights on and if there is, hazard lights on, grab anything that will benefit the injured. Like spare clothes, first aid kits if you have and of coz, your handphone to call the AMBULANCE first then the police. Simply because medical treatment is critical over investigation. If there are other witness or passerby, get them to take down the number plate or the vehicles involved. Witness, ask them to hold on for a while. You could ask some of the passerby to do traffic control. Especially when we know alot of KPO drivers like to slow down and take pictures and post on stomp.

 

When approaching the accident, quickly establish if the injured is the rider or pillion, ask if he/she has a pillion or not. This is important as there are cases whereby the pillion are flung off the accident site. And by now most of us rider should know, our pillions suffer more serious injuries than the riders. So if there is a pillion, do a quick assessment triage of who needs to be treated first. Don't bother about those mushy sentences "check my wife/girfriend or boyfriend/husband first!". Just calm them down, tell them their conditions.

 

As a paramedic, the least that most of us ask for is, don't move his head if he/she is unconscious, drowsy or can't move. The cervical management is one of the most important to us bikers. If you remove his/her helmet without proper management, you're gonna do more harm then good. If he/she is drowsy, keeps turning his/her head around, the least you can do is, hold onto his/her helmet or head to stop him/her from turning here and there. If there is any fracture, leave it unless you have sufficient equipments to immobilize it. If there is any open fractures or wounds that are bleeding constantly aka bleeder, tackle it quick. Especially if it's a big wound, bigger than 5cm or so more, the rider will bleed to death. How to tackle, pressure dressing which means, pressing onto the wound with a cloth or gauze. Yes, it's gonna hurt like hell, but it's gonna save him/her. If the rider ask for water to drink, deny him/her. Simply because if he/she requires an emergency operation, no food intake will be best for him/her. Above all, keep the rider conscious and encourage him/her. It helps, alot!

 

For those who knows CPR, if the rider is unconscious, go straight for the pulse, no pulse, start CPR straight, leave cervical management for later unless you have more manpower to help you out. In school they teach A-Airway, B-Breathing then C-Circulation. But out there, CPR beats giving the two breaths every cycle. Unless you really don't mind giving the rider the kiss of life with the fragments of his/her visor and blood. The reason why most people are dying out there is because there's no early CPR. Though chances of a rider surviving a fatal accident is low, paramedics NEVER give up without a fight. Coz that's what we do, we push hard to give that person a fighting chance for a second life.

 

If you do come across accidents whereby the rider is pin under a car/truck or whatever, don't go pull him out with brute strength, it's gonna hurt him more. If he/she is trapped, inform 995 that the rider is trapped and try to establish if the rider is still conscious and, alive. If he/she is not, never let the driver more his vehicle, chances is, it will become a police scene for investigation already. Let the paramedic decide what is to be done.

 

Above all, encouragement. Encourage him/her, help is on the way. (;

[JSCJL]

Double post.

Edited September 8, 2011 by JSCJL

[ChaoPuzzy1968]

thanks for the information ride far ride safe

[BennyLoh]

Thanks for the info. Any advice on what numbers to dial when on NSH?

[ChaoPuzzy1968]

999 also

 

ref http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/malaysia/useful-information/malaysia-emergency-phone-numbers.html

[houstanrojas]

the backbone is most likely to be affected in any bike accidents. i heard a doctor said lay down the patient on flat surface in such cases and make him keep the body straight. and ofc call some specialist.

[GuiNNeSS]

Thats really nice. Very detailed.

[JSCJL]

Don't mind me saying but Malaysia ambulance really.... Zzzzzzzz

 

You take car turn back to Sg they also haven't reach the accident site. Hahaha..

[S_R]

first thing to do ! take a pic of the accident this will help u in ur claiming

[thrasher]

Dont bother abt insurance claim first. Save the life first

[meme56]

Nice thread, always good to see helpful bikers

[GuiNNeSS]

You take pictures, also must have some skills/relevant information.

 

1) If in Singapore. Take the picture of the lampost with its number showing. So in the report, it will read that the crash happened at cr vicinity of Lampost Jalan Ulu towards City. From skid mark to crash site/bike stop site lampost number. Take the picture of any road markings or road signs on that road.

 

2) Picture of the bike and persons, lying on which side. & whatever debris that was spewed onto the road.

 

3) Picture of the bike and persons, lying on which lane of the road. Take a wide angle picture, to roughly indicate the traffic flow as light or heavy. If your camera is without time stamp. Take a pic of your handphone/watch time.

 

For your own safety. Avoid taking pictures with your back facing the oncoming traffic. And if you have to do so. Make sure somone is facing on coming traffic and directing them off from raming into you.

[Unagi]

Do not always try to tug off the unconsious accident victim's helmet! Sometimes, the helmet of the unconsious victim is holding in the brain swelling of the victim!

 

Unless you are a brain surgeon and is prepared to immediate handle the brain swelling and cut into the fella's brain. Dont automatically remove the helmet!

 

Kitty, on not removing helmet - can it really help to contain brain swelling?

 

I believe its more of preventing further injuries to the head/neck/spine.

 

 

Edit: (for general sharing) The person offering assistance should never attempt to remove the victim's helmet, unless there is a need to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Edited September 21, 2011 by Unagi
clarify statement

[JSCJL]

Kitty, does not removing helmet really help to contain brain swelling?

 

I believe its more of preventing further injuries to the head/neck/spine, or for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

 

Err.. Bro, removing the helmet wrongly will cause more harm to the rider if his cervical is already injured. That's the main reason why don't touch the helmet unless you're really confident in helmet removal procedures. Especially FF helmet. ZZzzz...

[Unagi]

Err.. Bro, removing the helmet wrongly will cause more harm to the rider if his cervical is already injured. That's the main reason why don't touch the helmet unless you're really confident in helmet removal procedures. Especially FF helmet. ZZzzz...

 

Yeah, that why I say "its more of preventing further injuries to the head/neck/spine."

 

I made a typo on the mouth-to-mouth though. I meant to say "unless for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."

 

Let me go back and fix that.

 

 

Anyway, my real question was whether leaving the helmet on can really contain brain swelling.

 

Edit: Cos you know, the brain is protected by the skull. and there is some space between our brain and skull... and even if the skull and scalp expand as a result of the swelling of the brain, will the helmet be able to hold the swelling considering the fact that there is soft cushion in the helmet.

Edited September 21, 2011 by Unagi
hope it's clearer now