Maybe you’ve hit the ground. Maybe it’s a friend who’s fallen. But there’s a rider down, and it’s bad. The obvious action is to call 911. The best answer is to take some formal training before the incident—something that concentrates on trauma, the most likely form of injury a motorcyclist will encounter. Your local Red Cross is a great place to start, as are the local fire department and hospital ER; they can direct you to first-responder or EMT courses. In the meantime, you need a plan, and you'll need to execute it quickly. Remember the following, and it’s imperative that you execute this plan in the following order: S-R-ABC-S.
SAFETY First, your own; next, the victim’s. Accidents happen in dangerous places. Stopping to help is noble, but don't hit by another vehicle because you’re too focused on helping the victim. Be sure basic safety is under control, then call 911 pronto.
RESCUE Don’t move a victim unnecessarily. But what if the person is in a place where he or she needs to be moved to prevent additional injury? Dragging someone out of a burning house is a no-brainer.
AIRWAY Make sure the patient’s airway is clear. You can do this even if they’re wearing a full-face helmet.
BREATHING The patient needs to be breathing. If not, consider beginning CPR.
CIRCULATION Look for two things here—a heartbeat, and any life-threatening blood loss. Relatively minor blood loss can look terrifying, but may not be life threatening at all. Learn how to assess the difference.
SPINAL Don’t remove a patient’s helmet unless you absolutely must—you might worsen any neck injuries.
Use the resources you have available to you. Are there lots of bystanders? Put them to work directing traffic, calling emergency services, and so on. Take charge of the accident scene, and be sure nobody else gets hurt.
The first hour after an injury is most critical to helping treat critical injuries. If help is slow in coming, you’ll at least have done as much as you can in those first 60 minutes. If there are multiple victims, it’s time for triage. Assess their injuries quickly and prioritize treatment accordingly.
Maybe you’ve hit the ground. Maybe it’s a friend who’s fallen. But there’s a rider down, and it’s bad. The obvious action is to call 911. The best answer is to take some formal training before the incident—something that concentrates on trauma, the most likely form of injury a motorcyclist will encounter. Your local Red Cross is a great place to start, as are the local fire department and hospital ER; they can direct you to first-responder or EMT courses. In the meantime, you need a plan, and you'll need to execute it quickly. Remember the following, and it’s imperative that you execute this plan in the following order: S-R-ABC-S.
SAFETY First, your own; next, the victim’s. Accidents happen in dangerous places. Stopping to help is noble, but don't hit by another vehicle because you’re too focused on helping the victim. Be sure basic safety is under control, then call 911 pronto.
RESCUE Don’t move a victim unnecessarily. But what if the person is in a place where he or she needs to be moved to prevent additional injury? Dragging someone out of a burning house is a no-brainer.
AIRWAY Make sure the patient’s airway is clear. You can do this even if they’re wearing a full-face helmet.
BREATHING The patient needs to be breathing. If not, consider beginning CPR.
CIRCULATION Look for two things here—a heartbeat, and any life-threatening blood loss. Relatively minor blood loss can look terrifying, but may not be life threatening at all. Learn how to assess the difference.
SPINAL Don’t remove a patient’s helmet unless you absolutely must—you might worsen any neck injuries.
Use the resources you have available to you. Are there lots of bystanders? Put them to work directing traffic, calling emergency services, and so on. Take charge of the accident scene, and be sure nobody else gets hurt.
The first hour after an injury is most critical to helping treat critical injuries. If help is slow in coming, you’ll at least have done as much as you can in those first 60 minutes. If there are multiple victims, it’s time for triage. Assess their injuries quickly and prioritize treatment accordingly.