Top tips to know at an accident scene

With the increase in road accidents, you are likely to come across an accident scene at some time.

The question remains, do you know what to do when you approach an accident scene? These informative tips will help keep you and your family safe while assisting those injured in the accident.

Tips on what to do when you come across an accident:

* Ensure the safety of you and your family.
Pull off the roadway and park in a way that you are not in any danger of being hit by another vehicle. Try to stop on the same side as the accident to prevent running across the road. This could lead to you becoming part of a pedestrian crash. Remember people driving past are ‘rubbernecking’ and do not concentrate on the road in front of them.

* After you have assessed if there are injuries, call for medical assistance. Remember to give exact details of where you are, how many patients are injured and the severity of their injuries. This will ensure the correct resources are sent to the scene.

* Don’t pull the patients out of the vehicle or move them around unless absolutely necessary, such as if the vehicle is on fire. Remember that with the impact caused in a car accident, there is a possibility that the person may have spinal injuries.

* If a patient is bleeding, stop the bleeding as soon as possible. This is best done using direct pressure. If you do not have gloves, you can always instruct the patient to put direct pressure on the wound themselves if possible. If not you can use a peace of clean cloth, or a piece of clothing to make a pressure bandage. Remember to keep the patients calm and reassure them that help is on the way.

SOURCE: Netcare 911