First on Scene of a Night Motorcycle Crash
At 9:20 p.m. on a dark stretch of the Abuja–Kaduna road, you are the first vehicle to reach a crash. A motorcycle carrying two people has collided with a stationary lorry. The rider is lying face-down and not responding; the passenger is sitting on the road with blood soaking through a cloth around the right thigh. The motorcycle's fuel tank is leaking, and the lorry's rear reflectors are broken. Traffic is passing at speed in both directions. One bystander is trying to lift the rider into a private car; another is about to light a cigarette. You have a first-aid kit, a warning triangle, a torch, and a phone with a weak signal. You are alone. The nearest town is 18 km away and you have no medical training beyond basic first aid.
1. State your first three actions at the scene and explain why they come before casualty care.
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The first priority is scene safety, because you cannot treat anyone if a passing vehicle hits you or the leaking fuel ignites. Switch on hazard lights, park off the carriageway if possible, and place the warning triangle well before the scene on your side-at least 45 m on a straight road, farther if traffic is fast or visibility is poor. Use the torch to make yourself visible. Call FRSC on 122 and give the location, number of casualties, and fuel leak. Stop the bystander from lighting the cigarette immediately; move people away from the fuel and upwind. Do not move the unconscious rider unless there is immediate fire danger, because a spinal injury could be worsened. Send someone to slow traffic. Only then approach the casualties.
2. A bystander wants to lift the unconscious rider into a private car for the 18 km trip to hospital. Do you allow it? What care do you give instead?
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The rider should not be lifted into a private car. He is unconscious and face-down, which raises risks of airway obstruction and spinal injury. If it is safe to do so, kneel beside him, stabilise the head and neck, and check breathing; if he is not breathing, start CPR if trained. If he is breathing, keep the airway open and monitor. Move him only if the fuel leak ignites or a vehicle is about to hit the scene; if you must move him, use a log-roll with helpers and support the head. The passenger with the bleeding thigh should be kept still, the cloth pressed firmly in place, and the leg elevated if no fracture is suspected. Do not give food or water. Keep both casualties warm and wait for trained responders.
3. How do you manage the leaking fuel and the bystanders while waiting for help?
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The leaking fuel is an immediate fire hazard. No cigarette, no lighter, no phone use right next to the spill, and no switching of electrical devices near the vapour. Keep bystanders back, move upwind, and if the lorry's battery is accessible and safe to reach, disconnect it-but only if you can do so without sparking or putting yourself in danger. Do not start any vehicle close to the spill. Warn approaching traffic with the torch and triangle. If the fuel ignites, evacuate everyone to a safe distance and call 122 again; do not attempt to fight a large fuel fire with a car extinguisher. Your role is to prevent ignition, protect the casualties, and hand over clear information to FRSC, police, and fire service.