Coming upon a fallen moped rider at dusk
Sunday, 19:20 in October, just before dark on an unlit rural road. You are riding alone and come round a gentle left bend to find a fallen moped rider - a man of about 55 - lying on his side in your lane. His moped is on its side about 8 m further on. There are no other vehicles stopped. His helmet is still on and fastened, the visor is up, he is conscious but keeps asking where he is, and he is bleeding steadily from a deep graze on his right forearm. He is breathing fast, his skin is pale and clammy, and his right leg is bent awkwardly underneath him. Traffic behind you is moving at about 80 km/h and the bend limits sight distance to roughly 60 m. Your phone shows 12% battery. You have a first-aid kit under the seat and a reflective vest in the top box. There is a field gate with a gravel entrance 30 m back.
1. Set out your actions in the first minute, in order.
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Protect the scene before you touch the casualty - a second collision is the biggest risk here.
Stop before the casualty, not beside him, and use your motorcycle as a shield between him and approaching traffic, hazards on. Put on the reflective vest. Get warning out to the approach side: someone waving at the gravel entrance 30 m back is visible well before the bend, but you are alone, so use hazard lights, your headlight on main beam aimed at the road, and any triangle or torch you carry before you commit to staying with him.
Then call 112 and give a short, structured report: road and nearest landmark, one casualty, conscious but confused, breathing, bleeding from the forearm, leg trapped, helmet on. Keep the call brief because of the battery, and ask the operator to confirm the location.
Do not move him: the confusion and the awkward leg suggest possible head, neck or pelvic injury.
2. Should you remove his helmet? Justify your answer.
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No - not with what you have. He is conscious, speaking and breathing, so the airway is not immediately threatened, and that is the only routine reason for a lone bystander to take a helmet off. Removal requires controlling the head and neck, and done by one untrained person on a suspected spinal injury it can turn a fracture into permanent paralysis.
Instead, leave it fastened, open the visor fully so you can see his face and he can breathe easily, and keep him still by talking to him calmly. Check his breathing every minute and watch for vomiting or a drop in consciousness.
If he does become unresponsive but is still breathing, the priority changes: with help, keep the head and neck aligned and turn him as a unit into the recovery position, or remove the helmet only with a second person supporting the head, if the airway demands it.
3. How do you manage the bleeding, the shock and your own limited resources?
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Bleeding first, because it is the thing you can actually control. Put on gloves if the kit has them, press a sterile dressing firmly onto the forearm wound and hold continuous direct pressure for several minutes - do not lift it to look. If blood soaks through, add another dressing on top rather than replacing the first. A tourniquet is not needed for a graze that pressure controls.
Shock is likely from the pale, clammy skin and rapid pulse. Keep him warm with your jacket, shield him from wind, keep him lying still and reassure him. Do not give food or drink, and do not try to straighten the leg.
With 12% battery, keep the line to emergency services short and use the vest and position of your bike as your main warning device. Stay with him until the ambulance arrives and be ready to hand over exactly what you saw and did.