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First aid rescue tips for when you witness an accident

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The ‘Ember months’ is characterised by more people travelling, leading to more vehicles plying roads in Nigeria.

First, the Ember months are September, October, November, and December, activities across the country increase during these months, more weddings are fixed, lots of festivities that require human and vehicular movement increases in the ember months which is not surprising that road accidents are more prevalent during this period. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have said that drivers’ impatience and errors lead to the high number of road accidents recorded during the ‘Ember’ months.
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It is therefore pertinent to know some safety tips just in case you witness any road accident which will come in handy to save a life before medical rescue gets to the scene.

What to do:
The primary importance of first aid is to save a life, to protect the casualty from getting more harm and to reduce pain.

The golden hour, which is the first hour after an accident if properly managed gives an increase in the likelihood of survival and a reduction in the severity of the injuries that may result for victims.

Firstly, check that you and the casualty aren’t in any danger, if possible, make the surroundings safe, look for the injured, call the Lagos State Emergency Management (LASEMA) numbers 08060907333, 08023127654, 08022234870, 016574706, 016574714 and more, and perform basic first aid. In the order of priorities;

Asphyxia (loss of breath)

The crucial four minutes – Loss of oxygen supply is one of the most common causes of injury death, the cause is usually a blocked airway and this can lead to death in less than four minutes.

Blocked Airways
To avoid further injury, place the victim on the floor very gently and carefully.
Turn the victim sideways.
Loosen clothing around the neck, chest and waist.
Tilt the head back, face slightly down, and so the tongue can fall forward to drain blood and vomit.
Remove dirt, blood, vomit, or loose teeth from the mouth.
In case of obstruction, use your index and middle finger to remove it and clear the airway.

If there is no pulse and the victim is unresponsive and not breathing, perform CPR immediately. Place the victim’s body in the recovery position, keep the neck straight, then proceed with CPR.

Performing CPR
Place the heel of your dominant hand in the centre of the person’s chest.
Place your other hand on top of your dominant hand and interweave your fingers.
Start chest compressions. Open the mouths of the victim.
Place your mouth over theirs, with your cheek covering the victim’s nose
Blow into the mouth until the chest rises
Watch your chest go down and take a breath again

Bleeding
The easiest way to stop bleeding is to apply pressure directly to the wound with a thick bandage or cloth to stop bleeding.
Uncover the bleeding wound and use a clean, folded towel.
The heel of your palm, not your finger, leans against the wound.
You need to raise the bleeding limbs to prevent bleeding.
Do not remove any object from the bleeding wound.
Apply pad and tie around the wound. Do the same if there is a fracture.

Spinal injuries (always suspect spinal injuries)

Traffic accidents usually result in neck and spinal injuries. If the victims are unconscious or have an abnormally placed neck, it is best not to move them until the emergency services arrive, unless they are in imminent danger.

Rough handling and movement of victims suspected of having neck or spine injuries can cause more damage.
Injury to the spine should be suspected if the person:

is involved in an incident that directly affects the spine: such as falling from a height or being hit directly on the back
is complaining of severe neck or back pain
can’t move their neck
is feeling weak, numb or paralysed
has loss of control of limbs, bladder or bowels.

As you go out this festive period, remember to be careful when driving and be sure to travel with reputable transport companies.

Also, use the knowledge shared above should you encounter any road accident scene whether as the first to arrive at the accident scene or as someone who’ll teach other rescuers what to do to save the lives of accident victims.

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