Night Collision at the Crest near Baħrija
It is 21:30 in February on an unlit rural road near Baħrija. As you come over a gentle crest you see a small hatchback that has left the road and hit the limestone wall on the left. It is angled back onto the carriageway with its offside rear corner protruding into your lane. You brake hard, but your nearside front wing clips the protruding corner. The hatchback's driver is slumped over the wheel and does not respond when you shout; you can hear noisy, gurgling breathing. A passenger has got out and is standing in the road; his hand is bleeding steadily and he keeps asking where his friend is. There is a faint smell of petrol and wisps of smoke from under the bonnet. Your phone shows one bar of signal and no data. You have a warning triangle and a first aid kit. Traffic uses this road as a shortcut and arrives over the crest without warning.
1. What do you do in the first sixty seconds, in order?
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- Stop clear of the wreck if you can, hazards on, headlights on. Do not leave your car in the lane where the next vehicle over the crest will find it.
- Warn the crest. Take the triangle out and place it on the approach, uphill of the crest, far enough back that a driver at 80 km/h sees it and can stop - a triangle behind your own car is useless if nobody can see over the rise. Keep yourself off the carriageway while you do it.
- Remove ignition sources. No smoking, no opening the bonnet. Petrol plus smoke means a fire can start while you are standing next to it.
- Call 112. A voice call needs far less signal than data. Give the road, your direction, the nearest landmark, the number of casualties, who is breathing, and the petrol and smoke.
- The walking passenger. Move him off the carriageway, sit him down, and press something clean firmly on the hand wound; keep the arm raised.
- Then the driver. Do not open the door and drag him out unless fire forces it.
2. The driver is breathing noisily and the car smells of petrol. How do you balance the risk of moving him against the airway problem?
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Start from the airway. Noisy, gurgling breathing means fluid or the tongue is partly obstructing the airway. That kills faster than a spinal injury that may not exist. Open the airway with minimal movement: jaw thrust rather than a full head tilt if you can reach him without dragging him, and keep his head in line with the spine.
Weigh the fire risk. Petrol plus smoke is the one thing that justifies immediate extraction. If flames appear or the smoke thickens, get him out - grab under the arms, keep the head and neck as aligned as you can, and pull him clear along the line of the body, well upwind.
If you must leave him in place. Monitor breathing continuously, be ready to turn him into the recovery position if he vomits or the airway worsens further, and start CPR if he stops breathing. Keep him warm with a coat or blanket, and do not give him anything to eat or drink.
Never remove a helmet, feed water to a casualty, or let bystanders crowd the door. Assign one person to watch the crest with a torch and to keep traffic back.
3. You clipped the other car, so you are involved. What are your legal obligations, what should you avoid saying or doing, and what information should the 112 operator receive?
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Legal duties. Stop, switch off, and stay. Give your name, address and insurance details to the other driver or passenger, and obtain theirs if possible. Report the collision to the police as soon as practicable - with an injury involved this is not optional - and remain at the scene until you are released. Do not move the vehicles unless they are a hazard or the police ask you to; if you must move them, note the positions first.
What to avoid. Do not admit liability, speculate about speed, or argue about blame at the roadside. Facts given under stress are hard to retract, and liability is for insurers and investigators. Notify your insurer promptly; remember that third-party cover pays for the other car and injuries, but your own damage is only covered if you hold comprehensive cover.
For 112. Road name and direction of travel, nearest landmark or junction, number of casualties and whether each is conscious and breathing, the fuel and smoke hazard, and the traffic risk over the crest. Ask for the fire service as well as ambulance and police, and stay on the line until told to hang up.