Attention: This text only provides an overview of first aid measures. It does not replace a first aid course. Courses are offered by the German Red Cross, the Malteser, the Johanniter and the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, among others.
You drive along a snow-covered country road. After the next bend they have to brake. On the right side of the road is a badly damaged vehicle; it seems to have hit a tree. The driver is unconscious behind the wheel.
How about?
The man was in a car accident. The reasons for this are very different: driving too fast, alcohol or drug consumption, disregard for traffic rules, defective vehicles or poor road or weather conditions.
Why is this risky?
The range of possible injuries is large. It ranges from slight bruises to life -threatening lesions of several body regions. Some are typical of a certain course of the accident. In the frontal impact, the driver's shin legs come against the dashboard. The acting force is transmitted over the knee joint and the thigh bones to the hip joint, pelvis and spine. This can break the bones. In addition, the rear cruciate ligament can tear in the knee and ball out the hip joint. If pedestrians are approached, their shin breaks through the impact of the bumper. In 2021, the police in Germany registered 2.3 million traffic accidents. Around 323,000 people were injured, more than 2500 died. Each year, 1.3 million people have fatally crashed through traffic accidents every year. Pedestrians, cyclists in particular are at risk.
Aid securely
First aid saves lives. Therefore, if someone gets into a medical emergency situation, we are all obliged to help. Nevertheless, many people hesitate in an emergency, often for fear of making mistakes. However, this uncertainty does not have to remain. In our series "Helping safely" we explain what to do in an emergency: how to recognize a stroke? What information does the emergency call need? And when is it necessary to resuscitate?
How can I help?
Even if you are insecure or anxious: it is crucial that you stop and help. First of all, the scene of the accident must be secured – even before dialing the emergency call. Otherwise, in the worst case, other road users could rush into the accident scene. If you are traveling by car, park the vehicle at least ten meters from the scene of the accident, without impeding traffic, and turn on the hazard warning lights. Then you put the safety vest on and set up the warning triangle. In the city, it is located 50 meters from the accident site, 100 meters on the country road and 150 to 200 meters in front of it on the highway. For winding and hilly paths, the warning triangle must be set up in front of the curve or the top of the mountain. You walk along the edge of the road or behind the guardrail. Gestures are used to signal passing cars to slow down or stop if further help is needed. If there are at least two helpers on site, one person can take over the protection, while the other dials the emergency call 112.
If the emergency services are alerted, the injured will be taken care of. If you are still in a vehicle, you should first check your breathing and assess the danger situation. In principle, recovery should be carried out by the emergency medical service and after prior immobilization of the spine, so as not to aggravate possible spinal injuries. However, if the person needs to be resuscitated or a fire develops on the vehicle, quick action is required. Then you should probably not wait for the arrival of the rescue workers, but carefully pull out the person concerned with a rescue handle, the Rautek handle. First you open the car door and address the person. Then you turn off the ignition of the vehicle and unfasten the seat belt. In addition, one should be careful that the injured person's feet are not pinched. If the airbag has not been activated, helpers should not get between the dashboard and the person. He could still trigger afterwards and cause dangerous injuries. Now you embrace the injured person at the level of the seat from behind and turn your back to yourself. A person's forearm is placed in front of their stomach. Then you reach for the forearm through her armpits. In this position, you pull them down from the seat – first on your own thigh, and then out of the danger zone. Motorcyclists should carefully remove their helmets.
Properly remove the motorcycle helmet.
Basically, professional rescue workers should prefer to take the helmet to a crashed motorcyclist. Until the rescue workers arrive, you should check the breathing of the person concerned. In the event of an accident, you can intervene yourself. In order not to accidentally worsen possible injuries to the cervical spine, you should be very careful. Ideally, two helpers are involved. One kneels at the head end and covers the head and lower jaw with both hands. The second positions itself next to it. He pushes up the helmet's visor, loosens the chin strap, frees the mouth area free and, if available, removes glasses and scarf. Now he takes over the stabilization of the head by supporting the head and neck from below with two hands. Then the first helmet decreases the helmet. Then he holds his head back from above. The second opens the mouth of the person concerned and removes visible foreign bodies. Then she checks the breathing. If this is present, the person is carefully brought into the stable side position. The first helper makes sure that the head is sufficiently stabilized and carefully turns it. Depending on the helm type, the procedure must be modified slightly.
If no further help is available, you can remove the helmet alone. To do this, kneel sideways next to the head and first fold up the visor, clear the mouth area and loosen the chin strap. Then you move to the head end and pull the helmet with both hands so far that the back of the head can be supported with one hand. The head is now carefully placed on the ground. When the helmet has been removed, it goes back to the first position. When changing, the head is still held. Foreign bodies in the mouth are removed, breathing is controlled and the affected person is placed in the stable lateral position.
Now, first of all, the most serious injuries are taken care of. If you have medical gloves, wear them. Bleeding wounds can be breastfed by placing the affected part of the body up if possible and applying a bandage that puts pressure on the wound. Because there may be serious internal injuries, the affected person should be moved as little as possible. If she is responsive and conscious, you calm her down and cover her with an emergency blanket so that she does not get supercooled. If she breathes normally, you bring her to the stable side position. If breathing is not normal or is completely absent, it is necessary to resuscitate.
Next, what?
The arriving rescue workers get an overview of the situation. If the accident site is sufficiently secured, examine the injured. They check which areas of the body have been damaged and how severe the injuries are. In addition, they control the circulation and breathing of those affected. Life-threatening injuries are treated first. After the first aid, the injured are quickly taken to a suitable hospital.
