#NewsYouCanUse: What you should do at the scene of a crash

A large number of vehicle collisions occur daily on Bedfordview and Edenvale roads, it is important for community members to be educated about what they can do in such mishaps.

The NEWS spoke to Shawn Herbst, a media liaison officer of Netcare 911, who shared guidelines on what to do when you are involved in an accident or witness one.

What do I do as a conscious driver or passenger that is involved in a car accident?

• Pull over immediately and turn off all vehicles involved in the crash.
• Call emergency services.
• Assist the injured (generally, it’s a good idea not to move an injured person to avoid further injury).
• Call the police.
• Assess the damage.
• Get details of other drivers and witnesses.
• Provide your identity information.
• Report the car accident.
• What is the first thing witnesses or onlookers do when an accident has happened?
• Turn on hazard lights (if it’s at night ignite flares to warn oncoming motorists of the danger).
• Assess the scene from all angles.
• Assess the condition of all patients.
• Be aware that patients may have been ejected from the vehicle.
• If people are available, get someone up the road and down the road to wave down traffic.
• Do not adjust or modify the scene, an exception is the removal of victims of a vehicle accident.
• Check for injured persons and perform first aid, if necessary, within the limits of your training and experience.
• Never move an injured person unless you absolutely have to for their own safety or to perform CPR.
• Never go near an accident scene or try to help a victim if there are downed power lines.
• Never touch blood with your bare hands and risk transferring disease.