By: Klon Perez Updated 03 May 2022, 15: 00 pm EDT
If you are driving and suddenly two vehicles collide before your eyes, do you know what to do? Are you able to stay calm at the wheel? It is important that you ask yourself that question right now, beyond the fact that the reaction you have at the moment will depend on many things.
Assisting someone who is involved in front of you in an accident that deserves it will be a great act of solidarity. But it must also be said that every day the laws are modified so that whoever by omission avoids helping another on the road after having an accident being able to do so, will be sanctioned. And with so many cameras these days, evading this responsibility seems almost impossible.
There is a protocol called PAS, of which we will tell you what it consists of and how you can be part of it if you have to face a unpleasant situation like this.
How to help victims
Despite how distressing it can be to run into a traffic accident, the most important thing is that you are able to remain calm in order to act in the most correct way possible. Quick action in the next few minutes can be the big difference between life and death.
The acronym PAS in first aid, established internationally, corresponds to the words Protect, Warn and Help. In this note we explain what each of them consists of.
Protect
The first thing you should take into account is to prevent the situation from getting worse for those who have suffered the accident, for you and for those who circulate on the same road. For this you must park off the road and if the occasion so warrants, put on the reflective vest.
Then you must take care of placing the safety triangles. If it is a two-way street, remember that you must place them 50 meters before the accident and 21 meters behind, in order to avoid a chain collision.
You should only make physical contact with the victims if they are in danger of death. For example, if the car is on fire and you can get someone out without risking your life, or if someone is in cardiac arrest.
Driver surprised on the road.
Notify
Phone the emergency services. Remember that they will be in charge of sending duly authorized and knowledgeable people to deal with this situation.
Once you can establish communication, you must remain calm so that when giving the location you do so clearly and it does not lead to confusion. If you can give details of the number of people involved or injured, better.
Help
Speed is essential in these cases. While waiting for help you can try to talk to the victim to check the level of consciousness of it. You should try to convey calmness to tell him that help is already on the way. If the person needs it, you can call a family member.
If he has lost consciousness, you could check his vital signs or just see if he is breathing. If not, you can place the victim face up and perform CPR.
If help is delayed and you notice bleeding, try to control it by putting pressure on the wound. If you have time to get something to protect yourself with, try not to make contact with the blood of the injured person.
If it is a motorcycle accident do not withdraw the case under any circumstances. In case of burns, try to relieve the pain with water at room temperature.
Remember that not helping an injured person can even be punished by law.
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