Five tips for helping children at the scene of a traffic accident

According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) past global status report on road safety, African roads are the most dangerous in the world. In the high road toll, passenger injuries are frequently fatal. Pedestrians are the only people more likely to die on African roads than passengers, according to the report.
In addition to the lethal nature of the injuries sustained by passengers and pedestrians, road accidents are frequently fatal.

ER24, a South African private ambulance and emergency service, stated that paramedics deal with collisions on a daily basis, many of which involve children. As a result, they have gained insight into children’s vulnerability in collisions. According to John Ramcharan, a branch manager at the service, approximately half of the incidents to which they respond result in serious or fatal injuries to the children.

According to Yolande Baker, Executive Director of Childsafe South Africa, in a report titled ‘Safer Streets for Children Campaign Launches to Save Kids’ Lives,’ most children injured or killed on South African roads are passengers or pedestrians. “They are injured or killed as a direct result of reckless or negligent driving by drivers who drive too fast, are intoxicated, or make risky decisions on the road,” Baker explained.

Children have specific anatomical and physiological limitations that make them more vulnerable to serious injury, according to Childsafe reports from 2017. According to research conducted by Childsafe under its UNICEF-supported Prevention of Road Injuries Impacting Children in South Africa (PRICSA) programme, 1 300 children were killed on South African roads in 2017.

“On weekends, we typically see collisions involving families, and during the week, we see taxi collisions involving school children,” said Ramcharan, who added that treating children is far more difficult than treating adults.
Paramedics are fully equipped to handle traumatic situations as first responders to the scene, but it can be a particularly difficult task when children are among the injured.

“The majority of EMS personnel are mothers or fathers.” When you see a small child on the scene, you automatically assume that it could be your child. You are more emotionally involved, and in addition to providing treatment, you also provide comfort. We’ve been on sets where we’ve had to hold and comfort babies ranging in age from 8 months to a year. “Your parenting instinct kicks in,” Ramcharan explained.
“Any type of incident can be frightening and traumatic for anyone, but especially for a child. While other patients may be relieved when paramedics arrive, children may find the arrival of uniformed responders intimidating and frightening.”

These suggestions may be useful if you find yourself at the scene of an accident involving children. At the very least, they will give you some pointers on how to keep yourself safe until the experts arrive.

1. Choose your words carefully
Ramcharan explained that when dealing with children on the scene, he takes extra precautions. “Most of the time, when we arrive at a scene involving children, they are scared or sad and ask for their parents,” Ramcharan explained.

2. Never stop communicating
Ramcharan believes that keeping the child informed throughout the process is critical to assisting them in coping. “It is critical to talk to the child on a regular basis. Inform them of your current activities, even if you are taking their blood pressure or checking for injuries. This is the only way to gain their trust and keep them calm so you can treat them.”

3. Get to the level of the child
“I’ve always believed that when treating a child, you should always lower yourself to their level.” Kneel and care for the child. Look them in the eyes and introduce yourself before asking where they are in pain,” Ramcharan advised.

4. Repeat and repeat as needed
Ramcharan stated that communicating effectively with a child patient often necessitates perseverance and forbearance. “I believe that asking a question more than once is important. A child may be thinking about a million different things at once and may not open up right away.” He explained that treating the child with care is important not only for the immediate treatment of injuries, but also for the long-term effects of the trauma.

5. Be honest where possible
At Grobler, ER24 Trauma Coordinator explained that the world-view of children is important to remember. “The child’s perception of reality is reality. Their experience is perceived at their level. A child will most likely remember the kind person who spoke to them or asked if they were scared. Children are intelligent; they can read body language and understand different voice tones. When speaking to children, complete honesty is required. If the child inquires about the whereabouts of their mother or father, inform them that she is being cared for in the ambulance and that he is still trapped in the vehicle. If a scene is horrifying, keep a child away from it because that is what they will remember for the rest of their lives. But, for the most part, be as honest as possible.”
“Their parents may not always be nearby, and you must ensure that they receive the comfort they require at the time. There is a specific method for treating a child. It does come with years of service experience. When you work with children, your demeanour changes. You must be soft-spoken and use language that a child will understand. Make them feel at ease in a potentially stressful situation.”

Experience beats classroom training every time:
Although paramedics receive specialised training in how to treat children, Ramcharan believes that nothing prepares a first responder for the reality of helping children in real-life scenarios except years of road experience.

“In a classroom setting, you are taught how to treat a child. “On the road, you learn the art of treating a child and how to gain their trust in order to treat them,” he said.
Although the training prepares paramedics to handle various situations or scenes, some scenes necessitate the expertise of trained trauma counsellors such as Grobler.

“I’m usually called to the scene when the impact is so severe that someone’s way of life will most likely change for the rest of their lives.”
For instance, at a suicide scene – paramedics can heal people or put them on the path to healing, but they cannot provide therapy.

“We come in when it is no longer necessary to treat bodily injuries, but rather injuries to the heart or soul,” Grobler explained.