• The right first aid given to accident victims by first responders can help reduce the mortality rate
• Over the years, mishandling of accident victims has led to dire repercussions, sometimes death
• GhanaWeb Road Safety Campaign team highlights some critical tips which can help sustain the lives of accident victims
A great number of individuals have over the years perished from road accidents. Statistics from the National Road Safety Authority and Metro Transport and Traffic Department of the Ghana Police Service leaves a lot to be desired.
To make matters worse, certain deaths which could have been prevented have added to the total toll because first responders at accident scenes mishandled victims.
According to health experts, actions by eyewitnesses in their bid to help accident victims sometimes lead to the death of the very people they sought to give aid.
In light of this, Head of Department at Korle Bu Hospital’s Accident, Emergency and Orthopaedics, Dr Frederick Kwarteng, while interacting with Wonder Hagan as part of GhanaWeb’s Road Safety Campaign series outlined some major tips he posited would be helpful in the event of an accident.
Here are five tips to know when you chance on an accident as a first responder.
- If you arrive at an accident scene, and you see someone’s limb that appears broken, all you can do is that, if there is any stick there, place it by that limb and place a towel or clean cloth to tie loosely (not firmly) around the limb.
- If you get to the site and see the person bleeding, don’t run away. If there is any polythene bag around, put the polythene bag on your hand. If there are any extra clothes on the person, remove the clothes and pack them on the bleeding area and then get any rope and wrap around the clothes, it will put pressure and stop the bleeding and once that is done, you must be heading to any hospital close by.
- If you get to the accident site and the person who is a victim of the accident has their tongue flipped back, get a clean polythene and flip the tongue out so that it does not block the airway.
- If you get to the accident site and realise that there are foreign materials that are going into the victim’s nose and mouth, these will block breathing so try and remove them and whilst you are doing this, you must be looking for a vehicle to evacuate them to the nearest hospital.
- If an accident victim has to be removed out of a vehicle because he is stuck, always make sure the head and neck are secured or protected gently before carrying on.
About GhanaWeb Road Safety Campaign:
The GhanaWeb Road Safety Campaign forms a part of the numerous projects GhanaWeb has rolled out as part of its 22nd-anniversary celebrations.
The year-long campaign dubbed #GhanaWebRoadSafety took off on Monday, March 1, 2021, and will focus on three key areas: indiscipline on roads; bad roads, and potholes that contribute to road accidents and absence of streetlights.
The campaign is being executed in partnership with major stakeholders including the Ghana Road Safety Commission, the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Highway Authority, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Ghana Fire Service, the Ghana National Ambulance Service and the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
The campaign is also spearheaded by musician and politician Bice Osei Kuffour (Obour) as the Ambassador.
Join in the conversation by sharing your videos about indiscipline, bad roads and accidents on all our social media platforms; Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @TheGhanaWeb and to our Whatsapp number: 0552699625
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