According to an estimate, at least one person is killed on the roads of Chennai each day because of
delay in providing first aid or delayed admission to a medical facility. Doctors point out
that at least 50 percent of such deaths can be averted if the victims are admitted to a
hospital within the "golden hour". However, in case the road accident victim is
lucky enough to reach a hospital, his worries are still not over. In western countries
when once an accident victim reaches a hospital, only one percent of the deaths are
unpreventable. In our country this figure is an appalling 41 percent. Valuable time is
lost in completing medico-legal formalities.
For an accident victim, it is important that he is provided
basic first aid, which enables him to survive, till he reaches a hospital. However, in our
country quite often, people though willing to help are perhaps unable to break a
psychological barrier and just stand and watch. But if you want to help, stop and think
what you can do. First call an ambulance. In this age of IT revolution you are never far
from a phone. A mobile is sure to be around.
While you are summoning an ambulance keep the following in
mind: be precise about the location of the accident. Convey only what has really happened
and not your speculation about it. In case you are able to gather any medically important
information like the victim being a diabetic, presence of blood pressure abnormalities and
allergy to certain drugs, from the victim himself, this can also be conveyed to the
paramedics on board the ambulance once it arrives. If you are able to ascertain the name
and address of the victim, do convey the information to his near and dear ones. Do not
ever leave the victim unattended. His / her condition may deteriorate suddenly.
Ensure that the victim does not become a spectacle. Keep
bystanders away from the victim. If necessary enlist help of others for this. The victim
can become upset or go into a shock by their looks and comments. Take measures to reverse
life-threatening situations but don’t try to be heroic. Maintain your mental
equilibrium and be in self-control. Do not meddle with the scene of the crash. In case,
diversion of traffic is required, please do so, but see that a traffic cop arrives on the
spot to take charge of the situation. And remember do not give painkillers, alcohol, other
drinks, food or cigarette to the road accident victim.
It is instinctive for anyone on the scene of an accident to
feel that the victims must be removed from the wreckage, but unless they are in danger
from a fire or explosion or any other life-threatening situation, do not move the injured
persons. If the casualties have internal head, neck or spinal injuries, moving them could
paralyse them. Depending on whether spinal injuries are suspected or not, each patient
needs to be lifted in a particular manner. An untrained person can actually make things
worse. Remember not to violate the instructions or wishes of an accident victim, unless it
becomes a matter of life and death.
You can also work to make the scene of the accident safe.
Turn off the ignition switches of the crashed cars. You can use the headlights of other
cars to light up the area. Make sure nobody smokes at the site of the accident. In case
some power lines have fallen, keep people clear of them. If power lines are touching a
car, stay away. Get help from the electricity authority.
In fact road accidents are now considered to be the third
largest killers after cancer and heart diseases the world over. In our country, road
accidents claim over 70,000 victims every year, or 192 deaths everyday. The vehicle
population of India and Britain is perhaps almost equal but our accident fatality rate
shows a vast difference. In Britain in 1996, only 3598 road accident deaths occurred and
the trend is decreasing every year.
The world’s first motor vehicle death probably
occurred on 17th August 1896 in London. The presiding magistrate at the time
mentioned his shock at the death and expressed the hope that it would be the last death
due to such a cause. But alas his hope did not come through and many millions have been
killed or seriously injured in road accidents all over the world in the last hundred
years. Today world wide road accidents claim around half a million victims every year.
Providing first aid to an accident victim is legally
binding in many countries. Besides legal binding it is also our social responsibility to
help someone is distress. There is very little awareness about past accident effects among
the general population. There is an urgent need to launch a sustained campaign about road
accidents and how to cope with them. Little basic steps would go a long way in mitigating
the sufferings of a lot of accident victims and help them to live and live a better
post-accident life.
