TOPIC
Accident Scene
First Aid For Motorcyclists
Management
TRACY HUGHES Founder and principle instructor ACT / NSW
ROGER FANCE Founder and principle instructor ACT / NSW
My helmet was twisted on my head , I couldn ' t see out of my right eye , it felt gritty . The helmet , at 45 degrees to where it should be , was crushing my nose , restricting my breathing . Instincts kicked in and I fought to remove the helmet but as I was pinned under the fallen bike there was no hope .
The other riders were now with me and I needn ' t panic , two of the three had done a first aid course , they would assess the situation and make it right . What gave me greater confidence was that they had done one specifically designed for motorcyclists .
Yes , there was panic amongst my fellow riders as they initially assessed the situation , we were in the middle of the Western Australian outback , desert ; hot , dry and very remote . As they took stock of the situation the panic subsided and a rescue plan was put in place .
My initial reaction was get my stricken bike and gear from the road . Although remote , and very rarely used , the gear spread across the road could cause problems for other traffic , I ' d noticed a roadtrain about 50 kilometres back , and if that came upon us , it wouldn ' t be able to stop in time . The rider with no first aid experience was put on this task immediately .
The first aiders then set about me . They could see I was struggling with the helmet , and although I desperately wanted it off , they calmed me and explained what they were going to do . They essentially looked for a response and obtained a history of the incident . I knew I had broken my collarbone and was able to convey this to them , they checked for other injuries , especially breathing and then bleeding . Once they were happy with the situation they set about removing my helmet .
In removing someone else helmet there ' s a knack , it is NOT just a matter of pulling it off . Thankfully they were able to extract it in a way that would prevent spinal damage ( although , in hindsight , they probably shouldn ' t have removed my helmet until the emergency services arrived ).
The helmet now off did allow them to provide further first aid , and as I started complaining about numbness on my right-side , and started speaking incoherently , the emergency beacon was activated . From now it was a case of keeping me stable and comfortable while help was on its way .
While my two helpers , with the help of my training too , were able to put my arm in a position to reduce the pain , my head was also kept immobilised so as to reduce further risk of spinal injury , this was a concern with the numbness being experienced .
A travelling nurse was then on scene and backed up what my fellow riders had done by going over the process again although , with greater detail . I felt much more relaxed .
The outcome of the accident hasn ' t been great , I ' ve written enough
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