First on Scene: Motorcycle Crash, Fuel Smell and a Crowd
At 17:20 on the East-West Highway near Kawasoti you are the first vehicle to reach a crash. A motorcycle has hit the rear corner of a truck parked partly on the shoulder. The rider lies on the road, helmet still on, bleeding steadily from a deep forearm wound, conscious but confused and trying to sit up. The pillion passenger is sitting on the verge holding a deformed wrist. Both lanes are open but traffic is passing fast, and there is a strong smell of petrol. Your car has a first-aid kit, a warning triangle and two adult passengers. A crowd is starting to gather and one man is shouting that the truck driver has run away. You have a mobile phone with signal.
1. What do you do in the first minute at the scene?
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Scene safety first, because a second crash would create more casualties.
- Park before the scene, not past it, with hazard lights on.
- Place the warning triangle 50 to 100 m back, further if traffic is fast, and send one passenger to wave traffic down.
- Do not smoke or use anything that could ignite the petrol. Keep the crowd back and ask someone to switch off the truck's ignition if it is safe to reach.
- Call the police on 100 and an ambulance on 102. Give the exact location, the number of casualties, the fuel hazard and your phone number.
- Move the casualties only if there is fire or a vehicle is still coming at them. Otherwise, keep them where they are.
The man shouting about the truck driver should be asked to help control traffic rather than to chase anyone.
2. How do you treat the two casualties before help arrives?
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Rider:
- Confusion after a crash suggests a head injury. Kneel at the head, hold the head still in line with the spine, and tell the rider not to sit up or move.
- Do not remove the helmet unless the airway is blocked or breathing has stopped. If it must come off, it takes two people, one holding the head and one easing the helmet off, keeping the neck aligned.
- Control the forearm bleeding with a clean dressing and firm direct pressure. Elevate the arm only if you are sure there is no fracture.
- Watch breathing continuously and keep the rider warm.
Pillion passenger:
- A deformed wrist is a suspected fracture. Splint it in the position found, using a magazine or padded stick, and check that the fingers stay warm and pink.
- Do not pull or straighten the wrist.
Give neither casualty food or water. Note the time you applied pressure.
3. What are your legal and practical obligations as the first witness, and what should you avoid saying?
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As a road user at the scene you must stop, give reasonable assistance and give your details to the police. Leaving the scene of a crash, or failing to report one you were involved in, is a serious offence. As a witness you are not a judge of fault, but you are a valuable source of facts.
Practical steps:
- Note the time, the position of the vehicles, the weather and any skid marks, and take photographs only if it does not interfere with first aid or privacy.
- Collect the names and phone numbers of other witnesses.
- Give a statement to the police and stay until they release you.
Avoid:
- Saying "it was my fault" or "we will settle it privately" if your vehicle was involved.
- Blaming the truck driver in front of the crowd.
- Promising to pay medical costs at the roadside.
- Posting images of the injured people online.
Let the police establish responsibility; your job is to help the injured and record what you saw.