Collision at dusk: unresponsive driver and a bleeding passenger
At 16:40 on a rainy October afternoon you are driving a 7.5 t C1 truck at 65 km/h on a rural road with a 70 km/h limit for your vehicle. A car pulls out from a side road on your right when you are about 35 m away. You brake hard; the truck skids briefly and hits the car's front-left corner at about 35 km/h. The car ends up across your lane. The car driver is slumped over the wheel, breathing but not responding. A passenger in the car is screaming and has a deep cut on the forearm that is bleeding heavily. Your truck is blocking one lane; visibility is about 100 m and it is getting dark. Traffic is beginning to pass slowly on the verge. Your warning triangle and first-aid kit are in the side locker.
1. List your immediate actions in priority order, including scene safety and calling for help.
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First, stop and secure your own vehicle: handbrake, engine off, hazard lights. Put on a high-visibility vest before stepping out. Check for fire, fuel leaks and moving traffic. Call 112 and give the road name or nearest junction, the number of casualties, whether anyone is trapped, and the hazards. Do not move the car driver unless there is immediate danger such as fire.
If it is safe, place the warning triangle behind the scene at a distance that gives approaching traffic time to react - on this road, well before the bend or crest, not just a few metres behind the truck. Keep yourself out of the live lane and ask other drivers to slow down. Do not smoke and do not let bystanders crowd the casualties. Only after the scene is protected and help is called should you start first aid.
2. Describe the first aid you would give to the two casualties before the ambulance arrives.
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For the car driver: check response and breathing. They are breathing but unresponsive, so protect the airway. If there is no sign of spinal injury and you do not need to move them, keep the head in line and monitor breathing. If they vomit or the airway is at risk, use the recovery position while supporting the neck as far as possible. If breathing stops, start CPR and send someone to meet the ambulance.
For the passenger: put on gloves if available, apply direct pressure to the forearm wound with a sterile dressing or clean pad, and add layers if it soaks through. Elevate the arm if there is no suspected fracture. Do not remove an embedded object. Keep both casualties warm, treat for shock, and do not give food or drink. Reassure the passenger and keep monitoring the driver's breathing until the ambulance crew takes over.
3. What are your legal duties at the scene, and what should you do about the warning triangle?
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You must stop, remain at the scene, assist the injured as far as you can, and give your name, address, registration number and insurance details to those involved or to the police. You must not leave the scene until it is lawful to do so. Because people are injured, the police must be informed; in Denmark the emergency call to 112 will start that process, but you should still identify yourself to the officers.
The warning triangle is a safety duty, not an optional extra. Place it where approaching drivers can see it in time, especially on a dark, wet road with only 100 m visibility. Do not walk into the traffic lane to place it; wait for a safe gap. Keep your hazard lights on and warn other traffic away from the casualties. The legal duties and the safety duties run together: protect the scene, call for help, then give first aid and details.