Traffic accidents are truly terrifying! The injuries from such road accidents have a wide range of severity depending on the type of crash. From minor events like bicycle crashes to far more significant ones like car crashes harm the victim in different ways. However, if one can provide first aid for road accident care immediately, they can save lives! Most of the time, receiving care with or without a first aid kit quickly before medical assistance arrives can be the difference between life and death.

When offering first aid, making sure the incident site is secure is imperative before tending to any victims. This is for the safety of you, the victims, and other people involved in the crash, so always remember this rule. First aid care must start promptly, and continue until medical aid comes or the victim can be taken to the emergency room. Let’s take a look at how to offer first aid to road accident victims! 

Why is First Aid Necessary for Road Traffic Accident Victims? 

Immediate attention to road accident victims can keep them alive until medical help becomes available. Preserving the victim's life is your first priority in this case. You might need to check the pulse, stop the bleeding, do CPR, or take other essential steps in order to help the victim! Always keep in mind the word CAB, which stands for circulation, airway, and breathing, the three most important things for road accident first aid care. Evaluate the victim's circulation, and verify that the victim's airway is clear and that they are breathing normally.   

The next step is to stop the deterioration of the victim’s health. Take the required actions to keep the victim in a stable condition until help arrives, and in this case, the intention is to stop the health damage from growing worse. This might include moving the victim to a more secure area, reducing bleeding, and just being nearby and consoling them.  

How to Offer First Aid in Road Traffic Accidents? 

Here are the basic steps you should take to offer victims of road traffic accidents the necessary, life-saving first aid:  

Check if they are conscious - Verify if the person is conscious and check the pulse to determine whether they are breathing. To keep the patient aware until medical assistance arrives, keep talking to them, and just inquire about basic things to keep their mind off of the current traumatic situation as much as possible.

Call an ambulance - While you provide first aid for road accident, don’t forget to call an ambulance to take the victim to the emergency room! The difference between life and death frequently comes down to how quickly emergency personnel can get to a victim and start providing care, so once the victim's pulse has been verified, it is crucial to contact the local emergency number.  

Don’t try to move the victim - Only in cases where there is an immediate threat, such as a fire in the car and the victim is stuck inside, should you move them. Make sure the victim's head, neck, and back are handled gently and aren't jolted suddenly when you move them because there might be broken bones and internal bleeding! Keep in mind that many wounds are not immediately apparent so be mindful and careful when moving them. 

Clear the airway - Loss of oxygen supply is one of the most frequent causes of road accident death, and an obstruction in the airway is the main cause of this. To avoid additional harm, place the person in a secure position with extreme caution, and once the victim is turned on one side, remove any tight clothes from the waist, chest, and neck. To enable the tongue to fall forward and allow the vomit and blood from internal bleeding to flow out, gently tilt the head backward and incline the face slightly downward. If there is something stuck inside the month, remove it.  

Assist with breathing - Verify that the victim is breathing properly, and if not, a mouth-to-mouth breathing technique may be used. To provide rescue breaths, support the victim’s jaw with your fingers, gently tilt the head back, create a mouth-to-mouth seal, pinch their nose, and blow into the victim's mouth until their chest rises. Examine the airway again in case the chest does not rise. Maintain mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until the patient's respiration returns to normal. 

Provide CPR -

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be administered right away if the patient is not breathing! In the initial moments following a sudden cardiac arrest, agonal breathing (erratic breaths are known as agonal breathing) is typical. This is not to be confused with regular breathing, and immediate CPR should be administered! 

CPR is a life-saving method that is advised in accident situations where the person needs outside assistance to maintain breathing or heart functions. This kind of first-aid emergency response method, which is known to save lives in the first few minutes following a near-fatal injury, is done by physically pumping the victim's chest with one's hands. The blood flow is maintained throughout the body by the compressions. 

Stop any bleeding - It's important to check for bleeding in a road traffic accident individual. A piece of clothing (a coat or jacket) may hide bleeding, so to check if blood loss is happening, removing the garment is necessary, but always do it gently! If at all feasible, try to locate a first aid kit and look for gauze and bandages that may be used to stop the bleeding. In the event that a first aid kit is not accessible, continuously press on the open wound using a clean piece of cloth. 

If there seems to be arterial bleeding, tighten a belt above the wound as tightly as you can. If there are severely broken bones in the bleeding site that have caused an open wound, do not try to move the bones in any way!  

Try to keep the victim warm - If the victim is in shock, they will look pale, and their skin will feel cold! After an accident, shock causes accident victims to feel extremely chilly, so it's essential to keep them warm. Use a jacket, coat, or any other item that is readily accessible at the scene to cover their body to provide warmth.  

Final Remarks 

Offer first aid to accident victims to save their lives and manage injuries until emergency medical care becomes available! Even without a first aid kit, you can follow the actions we have mentioned above that will greatly help in stabilizing the health of the victim. 

Contact Medanta to receive emergency care for road accident victims!

FAQs

1. What is the first thing to do at a road traffic accident scene?
Ensure your safety, call emergency services, and assess the injured without moving them unnecessarily.

2. Should I move an injured person after an accident?
Avoid moving them unless there's immediate danger, like fire or explosion, to prevent worsening spinal injuries.

3. How do I stop bleeding at an accident site?
Apply firm pressure with a clean cloth to the wound until help arrives.

4. What should I do if someone is unconscious but breathing?
Place them in the recovery position to keep their airway clear and monitor their breathing.

5. Is CPR necessary if the injured person isn’t breathing?
Yes, begin CPR immediately—30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths—and continue until help arrives.

References:

Website, N. (2022b, March 16). After an incident. nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/first-aid/after-an-accident/

Global Road Safety Partnership. (n.d.). FIRST RESPONSE TO ROAD CRASHES. https://www.grsproadsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/EN_FA_RS_manual_webversion.pdf

Hammett, E. (2024, November 19). Road Accidents and How to Help Safely. First Aid for Life. https://firstaidforlife.org.uk/accidents-road-help/