Be careful, plz review Accident Scene Management thrd

[erkishhorde]

I was riding home from my parents place this afternoon. Traffic started slowing for no noticeable reason. I thought to myself, "make the beast with two backsing rubber neckers." Then I saw a couple people on the inside shoulder of the road and 2 cars parked on the inside shoulder. Then I saw him. A slender young man sitting on the floor and propped up against the K barrier. He was wearing full textile gear, didn't look torn but he didn't look so good. His body looked kind of limp and as I rode by he tried to look up but his head slumped down. He looked really dazed.  A few car lengths up the road there was a Harley propped against the railing on the outside shoulder (it's a 5 lane freeway). It didn't look damaged but I didn't get a good look either since I didn't want to add to the accident and I knew the drivers around me weren't paying attention.

It made my stomach sink when I saw him and my first instinct was to pull over and help but with all the Looky Lous I couldn't and there wasn't much I could do anyway. I kept thinking to myself though, "They shouldn't have taken off his helmet."

This thread on accident scene management came up a couple months ago and is a good read. With winter coming up, road conditions will become less favorable and the chance of being in an accident will go up. Also, with the holidays, there is an increase in the chance of accident due to distracted/ incompetent drivers so be careful out there, especially at night.

[Greg]

This thread on accident scene management came up a couple months ago and is a good read. With winter coming up, road conditions will become less favorable and the chance of being in an accident will go up. Also, with the holidays, there is an increase in the chance of accident due to distracted/ incompetent drivers so be careful out there, especially at night.

That thread was very useful this weekend when the guy riding in front of me low sided when he went way too fast into a tight turn. Unfortunately it was an area where I got shitty cell phone service and it took about 4 attempts to reach 911. He suffered a nasty compound fracture of the left ankle but was otherwise OK. I think what hurt most was them cutting off his boots and 1 piece leathers. The GSX-1000 looked to be toast as well.

[scduc]

At the scene of my crash 4 years ago, a couple of women siad to each other "we should take his helmet off". It took all that I could muster up to say "NO". luckely there was an off duty paramedic at the scene and he stopped them before they could. I tell ya when a professional takes off your helmet it feels like he is taking off a baseball cap. there was so little pressure. I wear a pretty tight helmet to. My shop boys always say when buying a helmet, if it is a little tight, then buy then next size smaller. It should not move when you shake your head. Anyway, hope the guy isn't hurt too bad. Remember to wear your gear and always expect the unexpected. I think those of us who have been in accidents now see them with a whole new look.

[Desmo Demon]

I kept thinking to myself though, "They shouldn't have taken off his helmet."

....and, you believing that someone else took his helmet off and he didn't is what?......Just because he looked dazed and confused doesn't mean he didn't remove his own helmet.

When I broke my right femur in three places, the very first thing I did was pull off my solid yellow helmet and wave it in the air since I was laying in a ditch and people driving by may not have seen me if I didn't do this.....I removed my helmet not even thinking about my neck or any other injuries....actually, I never thought about severing my femoral artery until after I was at the hospital. I'm glad I never realized this while laying in the ditch.......It is also not uncommon for people to have a broken leg, or severed leg, still try to stand up and walk after an accident.....

As for removing a helmet, there are times in which you can and SHOULD remove the helmet, but I will not go into that on the Internet. I have an instructional video distributed for EMS personnel that explains the when's and how's of removal. To get the video, I had to get my mother (who is an RN) have a member of the staff at the hospital she was working at sign off on the paperwork so I could get the video tape. They refuse to sell it to anyone who is not in the medical profession. (BTW - I used to be first responder and CPR trained and could ride shotgun with paramedics, if I wanted to. The only thing I couldn't do is administer shots or start IVs).