Traffic accident: What to do and first aid

In the event of a traffic accident it is very important to know what to do and what first aid to provide, as this can save the victim's life.

Traffic accidents such as overturning, being run over or head-on collision can happen due to poor road conditions or visibility, excessive speed, or change in the driver's perception, for example, due to the consumption of alcohol or other substances, such as drugs.

What to do?

The first step should be to signal the place of the accident, putting on the triangle and wearing the reflective vest, to avoid other accidents and then call an ambulance, calling 192, emergency number in Brazil or the 112, Portugal emergency number.

When calling the emergency number, information such as:

• What happened;
• Where the victim is;
• Whether or not the victim is conscious;
• If the victim breathes;
• If the victim has an object on their body, such as a helmet;
• If the victim has any bleeding;
• If the victim is trapped somewhere.

At no time should you try to move the person, or remove the helmet, if it is on, as this avoids moving the victim's head and spine, which may be injured.

To find out if the victim is conscious, questions can be asked, such as: if the person is listening, what is their name, if they know where they are and what happened, checking if the answers are correct. If the person doesn't respond and doesn't breathe, it's important to ask for help from people nearby and start cardiac massage until medical help arrives. Learn how to perform cardiac massage correctly.

It is also important that the person moves away from the victim's location if there is a danger of fire or explosion.

First aid in case of an accident

First aid is provided at the scene of the traffic accident and serves to prevent future complications in the victim's he alth.

It is important to avoid crowds of people near the victim, keeping the passage free so that when the ambulance arrives it can locate the person immediately and act more quickly.

The most important steps when providing first aid in an accident are:

1. Reassure the victim

Reassuring the victim is a very important step because if the person is agitated, they may end up moving and worsening their situation, it is recommended to explain to the victim what happened, mention that an ambulance has already been called, and ask them not to move.

In order to calm the victim, you can try to make him breathe more calmly, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth slowly.

2. Keeping the victim warm

Keeping the victim warm is essential to prevent their condition from getting worse and, for that, it is necessary to protect them, placing, for example, a coat or blankets over the person, so that they keep as much of the heat from your body, preventing you from going into hypothermia. As soon as possible, it is recommended to take the person to a warm place and, if the person has wet clothes, they should be removed.

See first aid for hypothermia.

3. Control possible bleeding

After a traffic accident, if the victim has external bleeding, it is important that he/she remains lying down and, it is recommended that whoever is going to help, put on gloves, and then place a sterile compress or a clean cloth over the bleeding site, applying pressure for at least 10 minutes. Also, if the bleeding is in the arm or leg, keep the limb elevated to reduce the amount of blood coming out.

Learn better what to do when there is a hemorrhage.

First Aid Kit for Traffic Accidents

To facilitate first aid in case of a traffic accident, it is recommended to have a first aid kit in the car, which includes:

• 1 pack of sterile compresses, with small, large and medium sizes;
• 1 pack of band-aids;
• 1 pack of sterile dressings, large, medium and small;
• 1 cotton bag;
• 1 bottle of 0.9% saline solution;
• 4 ligatures;
• 1 tweezers;
• 1 scissors;
• 1 flashlight;
• 1 pack of disposable gloves;
• Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, allergy and ointment for burns and insect bites;
• 1 fire blanket, if possible.

In a traffic accident there can be serious injuries that only need to be treated by the medical team, however, first aid can help save the victim's life.

Check out how to prepare a first aid kit to have at home.

How to reduce the risk of having a traffic accident

To avoid or reduce the consequences of a traffic accident, it is important that the driver does not consume alcohol or other substances, such as drugs, before driving, that he maintains attention while driving, avoiding being distracted by his cell phone, for example, in addition to always wearing your seat belt.

In the case of pedestrians, it is important to look before crossing the street and anticipate possible driver behaviors, such as not stopping at the crosswalk or passing the yellow light.