Roll over car crash!

[Elhuero]

So on Monday I drove to Utah for a college scouting mission (complete failure, can't find an apt and out of state tuition has skyrocketed.)

Around noon I was westbound on I-80 a few miles west of Rawlins. A poof of dust caught my eye up ahead and I look over to see an even larger dust cloud with the wheels of an eastbound car popping out of the top. It rolled over a couple of times and came to a rest on the roof in the center of the median.

I pulled over and headed for the car, me and the guy behind me were the first ones there.

Passenger door was open, and a barefooted woman was on her knees halfway in the car. Right when I got there schooched back and stood up with a small child in her arms. They were ok but had faces of absolute fright.

There ended up being two women and two small kids in the car, a boy and a girl very close in age, around four or five. I believe the women were sisters and the driver was the mother of the two kids. All in bare feet.

Several cars stopped and at one point there was a dozen or so people standing around. The guy that was there first with me left after a few minutes, I think he was a trucker.

A WY trooper showed up really quick, only about 10 minutes. By that time the crowed had thinned and I was the only one left there that had seen it happen. He pulled me aside and I told him what I saw. He said fire dept was on the way.

One family gave the mom a couple of blankets and she just sat there bundled up, holding her kids and talking on the phone with someone. (I think she was on the phone when she crashed)

The women both had cuts on their legs and knees from crawling out on the glass. They wtere bleeding bu not badly. I went back to the car and checked my toolbox. I have all kinds of stuff in there, but the first aid kit was pretty much just band aids and wet naps. So I didn't bother.

Car was a later model nissan altima. Couldn't get the driver side door open. Airbags deployed.

After a few more minutes I asked the trooper if he needed me to stick around, he said no I was free to go.

A few miles down the road I had an adrenaline dump. Didn't shake just got very tired all of a sudden. Took a deep breath and a chug of water and felt immediately better.

I hadn't felt like that in a long time, not since a night where I thought I was about to be in a gunfight.

The kids had both been in car seats. When I ran up they had been trying to unbuckle the kids hanging upside down. The women were wearing seat belts as well.

I am certain had anyone not been belted it would have been a deadly crash.

This will go on my "Damnedest things I've ever seen" list, and my first project when I get back is to get a better first aid kit.

[BigBear]

Cool story bra.... (I have to say it) Barefooted women? Was there a stove on top of the car?! HA.


Seriously good for you for stopping and trying to help. You wouldn't believe how many people I see that keep on driving after a wreck... late for their appointment at the bar or something. Thank God they were buckled up.

Maybe someone can shed some light on this: I am not a medic, but last I heard that civies giving first aid after a major car wreck is a no-no as you could be sued for all kinds of crap if something happens and someone DOA's or whatever. Is that true? Does the Good Samaritan rule not go into effect?

Elhuero, what all are you going to put in your first aid kit?

[StagLefty]

Good Samaritan goes into effect-as long as your trying to help with best intentions. Good for you Elhuero-Like Bear said too many folks just keep going.
I keep my BOB stocked with 1st Aid supplies in case of need-especially Israeli Bandages in case of severe bleeding.I've taken several Basic Emergency 1st Aid courses over the years so I'm comfortable in offering Basic help such as stopping bleeding etc.[Beer]

[Byte Stryke]

Good Intentions and Level of Training.

Ie: Someone is Bleeding from an open wound and you apply a bandage and Direct pressure and they Kick it anyways. You are not liable. No one expects you to do Vascular surgery on the roadside to save a life, Well, unless you are a vascular surgeon and then there are a ton of other issues, Anyways.

I think you get the idea

[BPTactical]

I used to chase wrecks in Denver back in the days in a tow truck. What an experience, saw some wild stuff and some funny stuff and damn near got killed a few times, we saw this kinda stuff all day. There was a driver with another company that tried to pull a guy out through a window and ended up causing further injury. Result-he got sued and lost. He didnt have training in extracation. After that the norm was to toss somebody a towel and tell them: "Hey your bleeding, heres a towel".
That was before HIV was a mainstream issue.
Working for the State now we are first responders often at accident scenes and the general rule is to provide aid and comfort within reasonable means. ByteStryke has the correct scenario.

[StagLefty]

BP any special training needed ?

[BPTactical]

BP any special training needed ?


All we get is basic first aid and cpr cards.

[sniper7]

glad you stopped and tried to help!

[Byte Stryke]

Extrication is tricky. Unless you are trained and hold current extrication Certifications, ie, your day-job is rescue you need to Look REALLY hard at the situation.

Is the person Alert and REQUESTING ASSISTANCE? "Hey, I am OK, But the seat-belt in jammed."
Is the person in IMMEDIATE Danger? (Fire, water immersion, Impending Collision)
Is the Person in a position wherein you would be unable to treat a potentially LIFE THREATENING injury? ( IE: CPR (assumes you are trained) in inverted or severely damaged vehicle)

If you cannot Answer Yes to one or more of those LEAVE THEM IN PLACE!
You may offer aid in place (direct pressure to bleeding wounds, etc) But Encourage them to Stay in Place!

Keeping in Mind this is a Guideline and worth as much as you have paid for it.
I urge anyone with further questions to contact the red cross or their local EMS for further guidance

[StagLefty]

Just being there with an injured person until the pros arrive is huge !!! I've been on both sides of that.

[Irving]

I've been first responder at a roll over before. I didn't know anything to do, and wasn't the only one who stopped though, so I just left. I got my ass chewed out when I got to work since I was already late.

It was at the bottom of Floyd Hill just outside of Idaho Springs.

[theGinsue]

Maybe someone can shed some light on this: I am not a medic, but last I heard that civies giving first aid after a major car wreck is a no-no as you could be sued for all kinds of crap if something happens and someone DOA's or whatever. Is that true? Does the Good Samaritan rule not go into effect?

Elhuero, what all are you going to put in your first aid kit?


Good Samaritan goes into effect-as long as your trying to help with best intentions. Good for you Elhuero-Like Bear said too many folks just keep going.
I keep my BOB stocked with 1st Aid supplies in case of need-especially Israeli Bandages in case of severe bleeding.I've taken several Basic Emergency 1st Aid courses over the years so I'm comfortable in offering Basic help such as stopping bleeding etc.

Colorado does have a Good Samaritan Act in place, but not all states do. I'll have to see if I can dig up my copy of the Act. I used to provide it to folks that I trained in USAF "Self Aid & Buddy Care". Amazingly, some states will still hold folks 100% accountable for rendering assistance within their level of training/capabilities if something goes wrong. There are even recent cases of individuals getting sued for providing CPR to a patient that ended up with broken ribs (very common for CPR) or for some that eventually died of the heart attack.




Extrication is tricky. Unless you are trained and hold current extrication Certifications, ie, your day-job is rescue you need to Look REALLY hard at the situation.

Is the person Alert and REQUESTING ASSISTANCE? "Hey, I am OK, But the seat-belt in jammed."
Is the person in [B]IMMEDIATE Danger? (Fire, water immersion, Impending Collision)
Is the Person in a position wherein you would be unable to treat a potentially LIFE THREATENING injury? ( IE: CPR (assumes you are trained) in inverted or severely damaged vehicle)

If you cannot Answer Yes to one or more of those LEAVE THEM IN PLACE!
You may offer aid in place (direct pressure to bleeding wounds, etc) But Encourage them to Stay in Place!

Keeping in Mind this is a Guideline and worth as much as you have paid for it.
I urge anyone with further questions to contact the red cross or their local EMS for further guidance

Perfect advice there Byte Stryke!

I'd add to that:
Stay with the victims, watching for shock and unconsciousness.
Keep them calm but don't move them unless they absolutely need to be moved.
Be VERY cautious of the comments that you make as this alone is enough to put someone into shock.
Notify authorities ASAP.

Just my $0.02

BTW: Excellent job Elhuero! Honestly proud of you man.

[XJ]

"I think she was on the phone when she crashed"

[Rant2]

[rondog]

Good on ya for stopping and trying to help!!! The last first-aid class I took, the instructor stressed over and over about asking the injured party(s) repeatedly if they wanted you to help, just to CYA. Thought that was bizarre, but it's a fact of life in today's world. Some people will do anything to cash in.

I saw a car on its top Wednesday on the shoulder of I-70, westbound just past the summit of Vail Pass. I didn't stop, as there was already about 20 people all over the scene, and enough vehicles on both shoulders to make parking a hazard. Saw lots of emergency vehicles coming up from Vail also. I have no idea of the outcome, never saw any news reports about it.

[Elhuero]

Elhuero, what all are you going to put in your first aid kit?


Well definitely more than just band aids. Larger bandages of various sizes in singles and rolls. Maybe even some quickclot.

Also an over the shoulder bag to put the kit in, it was at least a good 40 yards from my car to the wreck.

I'll post results and ask for feedback.

I think it's also time for me to refresh my CPR and first aid training. My first aid comes from the Boy Scouts, and I took CPR in high school.

As for liability, well I know all about that. I asked if they were ok, asked if they needed help, and never laid a finger on them. Both women were too preoccupied to pay much attention to me.

After the trooper showed up the sister went back to the car and started digging around for purses and such. I was worried that she'd cut her feet, but she said she didn't need any help.

Had they been severely injured in the car, unless the thing caught on fire (I did have a fire extinguisher) I would have left them until medics arrived.

They did both say thank you when I left.