Helping at motorcycle accidents

[The_Dover]

I'd be grateful if anyone who rides with me or near me could brush up on their first aid.

BTW, my leathers have velcro down the sides so wont need to be cut off.

don't ask, it's my night job.

[JKWNZ]

Thanks for the input.

Looks as though my workplace might pay for me to do it. Will make me a tad more useful next time (hopefully there wont be a next time but...) I'll have to get a few emergency items for under the bike seat too

[sunhuntin]

ive done first aid about 3 times, but honestly, wouldnt have a clue what to do other than divert traffic and get on the phone to an ambo. in saying that, i wouldnt hesitate to stop and see if i was needed at all, unless there appeared to be enough people there, in which case id just be in the way.
even with my own wreck, landed on my back on the road, first thing i did was stagger upright and take my lid off, lol. in reality i should have stayed where i was and let them come to me. i also tried to move my gear off the road, but couldnt lift it.

[Quartida]

I think the best thing to do is call 111 and tell them the situation. If necessary they can tell you whether it would or would not be appropriate to administer any kind of first aid given the circumstances.

Certainly move the bike if it is going to be a hazard to other drivers (best not to have to have to do any more first aid than necessary).
I do know that it is best to avoid moving the person if at all possible because this may aggravate injuries that aren't necessarily immediately apparent. (But perhaps SM would like to back me up here?)

In terms of first aid courses, many "Community Education" courses (like the one from Tawa College, I'm guessing) in Auckland do a FREE first aid course. If you find out the community education providers in your area (try a citizens advice centre) you may manage to find one of these free courses.

It's nice to hear that we have people on the site who do stuff like this...I'll keep my eye out, as it seems a great idea.

[Dadpole]

For what it's worth, I will always stop if only to prevent some well-meaning person inflicting further harm. Removing helmet, move them etc. I once arrived late at a bin (knew the bloke) where the punters had lifted the trailer off the guy (good) then moved him off the road (bad). When I arrived he had been left sitting up against a fence. Pity about the broken pelvis!

Do a first aid course. I keep mine up to date - now if only I can find a bursting appendix to experiment on.

[quickbuck]

First Aid Course is good,
If it is a generic one, be brave and ask motorcycling related questions.
I just did a one day one at work (RNZAF) last week, and turns out the Medic (Also an Ambo and Policeman's wife) is also a motorcyclist.
Had a good chat about the injuries I had sustained over the years of offs, and also the things I had gotten away with.

Like asking the St Johns lady for a drink of water as soon as i realised I had really stuffed my shoulder after binning the bucket racer.
Of course IF I needed surgery they need my stomach to be empty, I realised this, but I was very thirsty, so I had a big guzzle.

Also shared the story of how much a broken lower leg hurt when people were trying to splint it. We had to do this exact thing on a "patient" at the end of the day, it brought back very painful memories (8 years later).

One thing I will say about diverting traffic; If you can get a cage to stop further up the road it is good. It is dodgy, because people crash into emergency vehicles that are lit up, so if you try and park your bike somewhere they have no chance of seeing it.

Leave all your gear in (with your bike off the road) and wave cars to slow them down! Got told by a Fireman on the course, that he knows somebody why chucks shingle at cars that don't slow. Soon gets their attention.

Anyway, that is enough of my ramblings for tonight, have a great weekend everybody, and hope to see you all back on Monday.

[Leong]

For what it's worth, I will always stop if only to prevent some well-meaning person inflicting further harm. Removing helmet, move them etc. I once arrived late at a bin (knew the bloke) where the punters had lifted the trailer off the guy (good) then moved him off the road (bad).

I always thought that safety, both your own and the patients was top of the list. So does this mean that an unresponsive patient should be moved off the road? Also, if the patient isn't breathing, brain damage will occur within a few minutes. If this is the case, then the helmet should be removed, preferably by two people, one to try to immobilise the head and neck, and the other to expand the helmet sideways and lift it off carefully, in order to clear the airway and begin CPR if necessary.

I'm guessing these sorts of threads pop up from time to time and look forward to Speedie's contribution!!

[inlinefour]

Yes and no.

If the person isn't breathing then you have no choice.

BUT.

I have seen some demonstrations of some very cool techniques for removing a helmet without moving the head or flexing the neck.

Unless the riders life is going to be affected by the possibility of death, please never take a helmet off the rider (better to be alive than dead eh). There is no way of asertaining what sort of damage has been done. I'm sure no one wants to be responsible for a rider not being able to ride again, let alone walk. I suspect that the techniques mentioned above involved more that one professionally trained individual. As for the dude that started this thread, I hope the accident has inspired you to go and do a comprehensive forst aid programe. They are not cheap, but well worth the effort.

I'd be grateful if anyone who rides with me or near me could brush up on their first aid.

BTW, my leathers have velcro down the sides so wont need to be cut off.

don't ask, it's my night job.

Do I hear dueling banjos?

[James Deuce]

Unless the riders life is going to be affected by the possibility of death, please never take a helmet off the rider (better to be alive than dead eh).

If they're not breathing you have no choice. The techniques don't involve extensive training either. Just some training.

I repeat. If they're not breathing you have no choice. I don't think I could be any clearer.

[Deano]

I once arrived late at a bin (knew the bloke) where the punters had lifted the trailer off the guy (good)

Should you be careful doing that - any weighty object may be stopping extensive blood loss from legs etc ?

I once heard about a guy whose legs were trapped under/in the dash of his car - he was alive and talking until they removed him, then found he had a huge gash and he bled out within minutes.

Isn't it just better to keep them 'stable' until the experts arrive ?

Bugger the road blockage and traffic build up.

[MD]

Wise words I was given by a racing instructor years ago. If you come off, resist the urge to get straight up. Just lie still for a while even if your first impression is shit I'm alive I must be fine! Go through a slow check list that the bod is OK - move a foot, then the other one, then raise a leg, arm etc .. slowly raise/move your head before you try and get to your feet.

[Dadpole]

Lifting a trailer etc off carefully should be OK. My problem is with the people who immediately try to get the victim off the road. In the case I mentioned, the lane was blocked by cars but traffic could still get by with no real problem. These gits decided that dragging an unconcious person was a good idea, then they left him in a sitting position.

[RT527]

Even just knowing about the rules for not removing a riders helmet makes it important to get quickly to the scene of such an accident to prevent some one else attempting to remove said helmet.

A lot of people just don't know, and you might be able to prevent some ignorant or mis-informed person from doing more/serious damage.

Yup Having said all that Like Jim2 said, if he aint breathing taking his helmet off is only 1 option, you can still maintain an airway in someone with a helmet on,just cant do mouth to mouth.
One thing tho I have to stress is if you must remove the helmet to assist in reviving the guy then please remember to release/remove the chin strap , you might say thats obvious but in an adrenaline filled atmosphere youd be surprised what people do, one incident we went to MC vrs Drain, bystanders had actually dragged the unconcious patient from the drain and had 1 person on the feet and 1 on the helmet trying to pull his head off cause they hadnt undone his chin strap,lucky the guy had no neck injurys from the accident.
But I cant stress enough that unless its absolutly vital to gaining an Airway , Leave the helmet/bike/person in the same position as you found them.........First thing tho make sure its safe for you and anyone else before you administer First Aid.
Its simple if it aint safe dont do it.
chances are if its a bad enough accident he prolly wont survive and if it isnt safe for you you wont either.

[Deano]

If you want to know the proper technique for removal come and see me, or go into your local Ambo station, they will be happy to show you. Basiclly unstrap it(we cut em to prevent re-use), get someone to hold their head/neck from the front, while you jiggle their helmet off, taking care not to move it round too much.

Should you also spread the straps carefully (as you do when removing your own helmet) as this helps loosen the helmet from the head, thus reducing the amount of 'jiggling ' required ?

Wise words I was given by a racing instructor years ago. If you come off, resist the urge to get straight up. Just lie still for a while even if your first impression is shit I'm alive I must be fine! Go through a slow check list that the bod is OK - move a foot, then the other one, then raise a leg, arm etc .. slowly raise/move your head before you try and get to your feet.

Unlike when I biffed my SP-1.....I had hardly stopped bouncing down the road before I jumped up and ran back to the bike cursing.

[Deano]

Yes you should.

BTW - your avatar sig thingee just reminded me about Poo's crash.

During a crash, kick the bike away if possible - don't hang onto it or it may drag you into more trouble, or you might get tangled up in it.