As motorcycle riders, we are all aware of the inherent dangers and risks that we take when we mount our bikes and head out to enjoy a good ride. These dangers and risks become all too apparent when we are faced with situations when a fellow rider is involved in an accident.

The first hour of trauma is termed the "Golden Hour" by the Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Trauma victims have the best survival chance if they are in surgery within one hour after the accident. Qualified medical personnel are really the people who should be handling everything, but until they arrive there are things that we, untrained motorcyclists, can do to help the medical professionals before they arrive.

At an accident site, adrenaline will be running high and the most important thing is for at least one person to keep calm and to think. The first thing you need to do when arriving on an accident scene is to stop and take two deep breaths to help you remain calm. All the other people who are pumped and want to help will do whatever they are told to do by a calm person who seems to be in control and knows what he or she is doing. If you're excited and out of control, everyone will run around wasting precious time in an unorganized fashion.

1. Get To The Victim

Most of us know that after a rider goes down, they really have no clue what just happened and most likely the only thing on thier mind is thier bike. Let them know that they were just in a motorcycle accident; If they say something about their bike let them know that the bike is being taken care of and tell them it would be best if they tried not to move.

2. Safety

An accident scene can be a hetic place with a lot of things going on at once. It is important to keep safety in mind; if you are helping someone that is lying in the middle of the road and a semi comes barreling down on both of you, you aren't going to do that person much good.

• Traffic - If people are available; get someone up road and down road to wave down traffic. This is especially important in tight twisties where other motorist may not have time to stop after seeing the accident site.
• Safety Circle - Establish a few people around the immediate accident scene to help direct traffic, to point out fluid spills, and to warn people who may want to light up around spilt fuel.
• The Bike - If the bike is not severly damaged, and looks like it will roll, get a couple people to pick up the bike and roll it to the side of the road. Leave a rock or other marker if neccesary to document where the bike was.
• Attending The Victim - The person with the most training (first aid, CPR, etc.) attends directly to the victim. Assuming the victim is lying on the ground, someone should also sit behind the victim's head in order to stabilize it to avoid unnecessary movement. Always assume that the victim has a back/neck injury and any unnecessary movement could rish paralysis. Talk to the victim and try to make them as comfortable as possible. NEVER REMOVE THEIR HELMET!!!!!!

3. The Three Questions

Ask the victim these three questions and document their responses:

1. What is your name?
2. Do you know where you are?
3. What day is it?

4. If Breathing Is Taking Place Normally, LEAVE THE HELMET ON!!!

It is very dangerous to remove someone's helmet if they have some type of cervical/back injury. The only time it should be removed is if the airway is blocked and cannot be cleared with the helmet on or if it is necessary to perform CPR.

If the airway is blocked or there's no respiratory action, then you should remove the helmet. The following is the method recommended by the American College of Orthripedic Surgeons and it requires two people to perform it.

1. Open visor, remove glasses and unbuckle chin strap. One person should be to the side of the victims head and the other person should be dirctly behind the head of the victim, stabilizing the head to avoid excess movement.
2. The person on the side puts one hand under the victim's head supporting at the base of the skull. They should put their other hand on the jawbone/chin. They will be supporting the head, so it is important to get a good solid grip. Keep some tension in the arms so that if the person pulling the helmet slips, the victim's head won't drop.
3. The person sitting behind the head will then slowly pull the helmet directly back and off the head. Watch out for catching the nose on the chin-guard on full-faced helmets, as well as the ears and earrings. It's normal to rotate the helmet forward as you pull it off, but not this time. Pull straight back so that the head and neck are not rotated.
4. After the helmet is off, put a jacket or something under the head of the victim! If the person supporting the head lets go , their head will drop a good 4 inches or so. Of course this would not be good. If possible, it would be best to have a third person ready with something to place under the victim's head once the helmet is off.
5. After the helmet is removed, the person directly behind the victim should again hold the victim's head to keep it from moving.

5. Things To Tell Emergency Medical Services

• There has been a motorcycle accident
• we need an ambulance
• The number of injured people and how badly injured they are. A severly traumatized person will require an entire ambulance to themselves, so it is important to give the EMS dispatcher some idea of the scope of the accident
• Location of the accident. The one leading the ride should have the location, if not then get help from anyone passing by.
• You (the caller) hangs up last! The EMS dispatchers are well-trained and will get all the information they need from you before hanging up. Stay on the line until they hang up.

6. Before The Ambulance Arrives, If Possible, Document Information About The Victim.

• Full Name
• Emergency Contact
• Age and Date of Birth
• Family Doctor
• Current Medications
• Drug Allergies
• Alcohol or recreational drugs in system

7. When The Abulance Arrives

Before the ambulance arrives, if possible, send people to the intersections in all directions to watch for/direct the ambulance.

When the ambulance arrives, it is important to stay out of their way as much as possible. Meet them and identify yourself as being "in charge" and to be the person to contact if they need anything (bikes moved, people moved, whatever)

It is also very important to give the EMS people the most accurate information possible! If the person just had 10 beers in the past hour, tell them!! They are not the law enforcement officials and their only immediate concern is the safety of the patient. By underestimating, trying to cover up, or not telling the whole truth, you are only keeping important information away from them which may be necessary for the safety of the patient.

If the helmet was removed, send it along in the ambulance. The doctors may use the visable damage to the helmet to assist them in what to look for in terms of injuries. If there were any leaking fluids, let the medical personel know. The fluids may have gotton on the victim and they need to know if there was oil, gas, brake fluid, or something like that in an open wound.

8. Dealing with Law Enforcement

As with the ambulance, when law enforcement arrives identify yourself as being "in charge". Let them know that if there is anything they need, such as bikes or people moved, you are the person to talk to.

For them, walking on to a scene of bikers who are all in a very excited state is intimidating and this will help calm them and give them some easy way to control the bike people. This is a form of psychological management that can be very helpful in a situation like this one.

 

Of course none of us would want to have to use any of this information but it is still good to know if the worst were to ever happen on a ride.