In order to prevent the incidence of fatal road accidents in the country, it is important for citizens to know how to handle a road accident victim. Knowing the basics will certainly help in buying time to save the victim’s life.
Saved contacts of emergency helpline numbers can also eliminate further wastage of time while waiting for someone to contact the ambulance.

What you should know before handling a road accident victim?

The first thing you need to know when you come across an accident victim is whether the victim’s body has encountered any physical injuries. You may not be able to make out internal injuries but you will notice a few external injuries depending upon the severity of the accident.

Trauma to the head or spinal injury is expected in a road accident. So, while deciding to help the victim move to a safer place on the road, know that rough handling of the victim will cause further injuries. Hence, ask bystanders who are present, to carefully help move the victim to a safer area by the road.

There are a number of ways you can help a road accident victim. Here are 10 first aid tips to keep you prepared.

First Aid Tips for Road Accident Victims

• Make sure that you have alerted oncoming traffic that an accident has taken place. This is so that you ensure your own safety first before helping the victim. This prevents further casualties.
  
• Your next step would be to turn off the vehicle ignition as there might be spilled fuel or other fire hazards. If this is not the case then make sure to turn on the hazard lights.
  
• Shift the victim to a safer area by the road, away from oncoming traffic, glass pieces, and leaking fluids from the vehicle or any other harmful material close by.
• Contact or have a bystander call the nearest hospital or police station. If the victim is unconscious or is experiencing difficulty in breathing, then your immediate action should be to send the victim to the nearest hospital. Here are a few contact numbers you can use during such emergencies. 
  
  
  • Centralized Accident Trauma Service (CATS) Delhi - 102, 1099
  • Ambulance service - 108
  • Medanta Emergency Services: 1068 or 91-124-4141414
    
• Make sure that the victim’s head, neck and back are treated with great care and are not jerked around.
  
• Place wooden blocks on either side of the neck. If this is not possible, make sure that nobody moves the victim by shaking them to stay awake.
  
• Do not try to remove the helmet of a biker victim until he or she has reached the hospital unless the victim is unconscious and not breathing. In these circumstances, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation techniques will benefit the victim.