If you Google “what to do after a wreck,” you will likely find countless articles from lawyers and insurance companies telling you how to handle yourself after the collision to avoid litigation.
You have to navigate to the second or third page of results to find any information on advice after a crash from a medical standpoint. If that doesn’t say something about our society, I don’t know what does!
Nevertheless, the question remains: what do you do after a motor vehicle collision (MVC)? Better still, what do you do if you come upon an MVC in the roadway after you have called 911?
The first step is a simple one but is often overlooked by even the most seasoned medical professional: keep your safety first! It is so important is your well-being that I am devoting an entire article to it. Obviously, nothing can be gained by you becoming injured or causing additional MVCs in your haste to get to the one you spotted.
Remember to be wary of other traffic as you approach the vehicle. In my career, I have responded to thousands of wrecks and it is easy to get tunnel-vision when approaching a
scene. Remember that other drivers will not be looking at you as they pass the accident scene. Stay on the shoulder of the roadway and keep an eye on all oncoming traffic.
Next, make sure that the vehicles involved in the wreck are safe to approach. Do you see smoke or flames? Are there downed powerlines? It might seem silly, but people become blind to these obvious hazards as they approach the scene.
If a freight vehicle of any type is involved, look to see if any of the cargo is leaking or otherwise spilled. DOT regulations require that commercial traffic label potentially dangerous materials with a placarding system. Ever notice the diamond signs on the sides of some semi-trucks? There is an organized color system for warning responders in the event the vehicle is damaged. Orange means explosives, red is flammable, and yellow for oxidizers. Of course, there are more colors, but you get the idea. If you wanted to get even
more detailed, you can download the Emergency Response Guidebook app for your smartphone. It is designed for first responders and contains information on safety zones and decontamination as well as every possible chemical that is transported in the United States.
Lastly, be careful upon entering the vehicle to access the patient. Modern cars typically have multi-stage airbag systems. If there is an unopened airbag inside of the vehicle, use extreme caution in that area.
A heavily damaged computer on the vehicle can cause a malfunction and airbag deployment even after the accident is over. The airbag system can be rendered inactive by removing the negative battery terminal inside the engine bay, however, this is best left to the professionals that will arrive on scene later.
The first lesson in first responding is keeping yourself safe. Hazards do not care if you had the best intentions at heart.
If you do decide to stop and render assistance until police, fire, and EMS arrive, exercise extreme caution if for no other reason than not creating additional work when they do get there! Next week, we will continue this thought and explore what to do for the patient inside the MVC.
Stay safe out there.
