Car Crash Centered First Aid Course

[bigbassin]

Are there any good car crash focused first aid courses out there, I’m in the Atlanta area if that makes a difference.

Work highway construction, and spending all my time next to the interstate I seem to see 3-4 crashes a year in addition to maybe one every other year I see during normal commuting. Typically they happen within 100’ of me and either myself or someone on the crew will be the first person on scene, within seconds due to the proximity. I may beat the ambulance by 10-15 minutes just since I’m literally standing there. My current skills involve calling 911, offering a water bottle, a blanket, directing traffic, and trying to lighten the mood if it’s obvious they will need some help.

I’ve seen two in the last couple months where folks left in a stretcher, I’d like to think I could be better prepared to help in those cases.

 

[timekiller13]

If someone is bleeding to death, call 911and try and stop the bleeding.

If they don’t have a pulse, call 911 and then do CPR.

Beyond that, it doesn’t matter.

 

[AndyB]

Spent 32 years in the fire service and nothing can prepare you for some of the trauma you can be faced with at RTC’s,…. maybe battlefield medic.

Timekiller13 is about right….but you are on the right track if you can also offer some reassurance and calm,

 

[Hnthrdr]

Yeah carrying tourniquets and knowing cpr can save a lot of lives, outside of that there isn’t too much to do. Honestly you need to be really cautious around motor vehicle accidents, don’t put yourself in a bad spot being a Good Samaritan, but sounds like you did the right thing with your current skill set. I would add keep people out of traffic/ from wandering into traffic, find a safe place to sit tight and wait for the paramedics to come

 

[mmac]

For the most part keeping them calm and not moving them is probably best. If they have a neck or head injury, you don't want them wondering around. So call 911 and then follow timekiller13...

 

[gentleman4561]

I would look into stop the bleed classes. That is most likely going to be the most productive/helpful skill that you can have.

I have twice applied tourniquets to car crash victims (one on the top end of 285) and the fact that I have a TQ most likely saved these peoples lives.

 

[tony]

Red Cross basic first aid
Stop the bleed
If your company is big enough, see if they would put together a 1st responder course.

I'm going to be the dick in room, after 30 plus years of fire/EMS unless a crash happens right in front of me, the dust is just settling, or I am on some back country road.
I call 911 and move on. Very rarely do I stop.

 

[Maidenfan539]

+1 on the stop the bleed.
Tourniquet is always with me.

I may be a downer here as well as Tony, but, I would check into your states good samaritan laws. It seems more and more people will do just about anything to make a quick buck, even on the backs of people who are only trying to help.

 

[Crowmangler]

Carrying a fire extinguisher in your vehicle should be at the top of anyone's list.
No amount of CPR or tourniquet will stop someone from burning

 

[Wellsdw]

Red Cross basic first aid
Stop the bleed
If your company is big enough, see if they would put together a 1st responder course.

I'm going to be the dick in room, after 30 plus years of fire/EMS unless a crash happens right in front of me, the dust is just settling, or I am on some back country road.
I call 911 and move on. Very rarely do I stop.

20 years here……100% right. I’ve made a difference off duty a few times over my time but “conditions dictate actions” stopping on the interstate as a bystander is a good way to become roadkill for minimal gain without equipment, training, experience.

 

[Marbles]

First responder course would be what I recommend. MVCs can cover a lot, be able to stop bleeding, know when not to move someone, and when to move them anyway are the primary things. CPR is standard in the US, but honestly pretty worthless in a traumatic cardiac arrest ; rescue breathing is more likely to be useful, which is no longer taught in lay person CPR as the AHA focuses on VF/VT type arrests.

The things that save trauma arrests are higher level when you get beyond stop bleeding and prevent further harm.

Consider doing some volunteer firefighting, honestly managing the scene would be priority number one. When I was a volunteer, if first on scene you assess and establish control, and avoid touching anyone because the only thing worse them them dying is you dying with them.

 

[woods89]

I drive 15-20,000 miles a year, on a lot of very rural roads, and I drive up to a crash every so often. Help is often going to take some time to get there, so I usually stop, unless it looks like it's handled.

One thing I always do is call 911 before I get out of my vehicle. I was riding with a buddy when I was in my teens on a very rural western KS road and we drove up to a very recent rollover. The driver was walking around with a nasty looking head laceration, and was quite intoxicated. He did not want it called in and intimidated my buddy and I into not calling. Luckily an oilfield worker came along and brought some sense to the situation. I decided after that one I was going to call before making contact.

Most of these situations just need someone with a clear head. Plenty of people stop and freak out.

Like has been mentioned, honestly the professionals just need to get there as soon as possible. I do carry a TQ in my pickup door, and have CPR training. As has been mentioned, don't put your self in traffic and create a bigger problem!

 

[Silver Wings]

Retired 35 year FF/EMT. I worked for a very busy, big city department and we ran A LOT of trauma. Probably seen no more than 10 legit tourniquets applied during that time…so all the tourniquet talk makes me giggle a little.
You work on the highway so you understand the dangers, but just let me say this….under no circumstances put your flesh and blood between the wreck and oncoming traffic, you will get killed. If you’re working somewhere rural and help is ways off, use the biggest vehicle you can find and park it cross ways to the scene as a shield. The next best thing you can do is keep the walking wounded from wandering around the scene and getting pounded again. Try to corral them in a safe spot, usually the downstream end of the carnage.

 

[Jtb.kfd]

Retired 35 year FF/EMT. I worked for a very busy, big city department and we ran A LOT of trauma. Probably seen no more than 10 legit tourniquets applied during that time…so all the tourniquet talk makes me giggle a little.
You work on the highway so you understand the dangers, but just let me say this….under no circumstances put your flesh and blood between the wreck and oncoming traffic, you will get killed. If you’re working somewhere rural and help is ways off, use the biggest vehicle you can find and park it cross ways to the scene as a shield. The next best thing you can do is keep the walking wounded from wandering around the scene and getting pounded again. Try to corral them in a safe spot, usually the downstream end of the carnage.

25 years and still working as a FF/EMT in a large city and I was thinking the same thing with the tourniquet talk.
Seen a lot of trauma and if a persons heart stops from blood loss, impact or penetrating trauma etc they are done, CPR won’t fix that issue.
The thing I need the most when responding to calls such as this is information. For a bystander, not getting hurt yourself is #1, #2 would be getting anyone exiting their vehicle off the road and out of harms way and #3 is reporting to 911 the number of patients, what you feel it the severity of their injuries (kinda hurt, really hurt, not breathing) and if they are stuck/trapped in the vehicle. That allows me to get additional resources coming immediately before traffic gets snarled up even worse delaying that help. On the West coast where I work we can even start Medical Service Officer (MSO) units that carry blood for in the field transfusions. But car accidents that serious where in the field intervention saves a life from expiring is rare. It is more often an exercise in limiting further injury while extricating and transporting to a hospital. And as stated in the earlier post, these to me are the most dangerous calls we go on just due to traffic/onlookers. Had a lot of close calls on freeway accidents. The point about blocking the scene with the biggest vehicle you have is critical.