Really bad accident...now what
 

So I have been reading about all the accidents lately(I'm glad to hear most everyone is ok) and was thinking maybe we should start a thread on what to do in case one of us or someone we are riding with goes down.

I dont know what order but I know a few things I would probably do.

• Get the rider safe, make sure there is not a chance of anyone else hitting him, either stop traffic or do something else to get them safe from further injury
• Try not to move the person in case of spinal injury
• Call for help or get help from others
• Stop any massive bleeding

Before you even go out on a ride:

Make sure you have emergency contact info on your person.

Recently, some local riders were out, and a new guy from their group crashed. The few that knew him barely knew his first name. The guy was incoherent as he had fractured his skull (yes, even with a helmet) and when the paramedics arrived, they had no idea who to call to let them know that their loved one was being transported to the hospital. Kind of a helpless feeling.

I was on canyon rides 3 times back in the mid '80s when a friend went down. Fortunately the worst was a broken wrist and a totaled CB1100F.:(

But a few years ago my wife and I were driving home from Julian, in the mountains east of San Diego, when we came upon a disaster in a downhill sweeper. 4 bikes down and one rider in the middle of the road. 2 groups going in opposite directions had met when a rider going downhill crossed the yellow on the left hander:confused:.

It had just happened, and a few cars had pulled over. Bikers from the uphill group, cruisers, had stopped traffic and were starting to pick up bikes and get them off the road. My wife and I helped with the clearing, which left coolant and oil in the lanes.

My wife then got some towels from our 4Runner to use for supporting and immobilizing his head. He's the one who crossed the yellow. His friends were comforting him, no blood, full face helmet. I got the folding Army shovel from our Runner and started covering the spills with dirt. Other riders and cars were coming up the road, and we were directing them around the spills and injured rider.

It took about 15 minutes for emergency vehicles to arrive, then we left.

I felt it was important to take care of the spills to avoid having other riders go down. A lot of people helped direct traffic.

In my crash, 3 harleys slowed down as they went by, and the leader slid on the same gravel and fell over at about 35 mph. None of those guys had more than a dew-rag for a helmet. He lucky he didnt hit his head.
I walked over and help them lift that big boat anchor, and we marveled at how there was zero damage, none at all that we could find. We couldnt even find where there were scratches... I know there was scratches, but I couldnt find any.
Even on the crash bars.
It was wierd as hell.
They hung out with me until the fire truck and ambulance came.
They seemed like nice people..

One of the most important things you can do is take an EMT course. Your local Red Cross office or local hospital can point you in the right direction and training is usually free.Knowing how to perform CPR or clear an obstructed airway are life saving skills.

I got one of these a couple of years ago, it was in the US and free. Now I can't remember where or find it again. http://www.icetag.co.za/mcycle.html

This list is if the injury is really bad or extent unknown:

1. If another person is around have them call 911 immediately.
2. Along with not moving the victim, don't ever remove the helmet unless you absolutely have to in order to restore breathing.
3. On the side of the road breathing is priority #1. I'm not going to tell you how to fix it on an online forum, take a class as stated above.
4. Bleeding is #2, the darker the color and the faster the flow of blood makes the situation worse. Use a piece of cloth, like your shirt or a towel, and put lots pressure on the wound until the EMT's get there.
5. If a bone is broken and sticking out at some weird angle don't worry about it. Let the EMT's deal with it. Unless it's causing a lot of bleeding it won't really hurt anything. Just tell the guy to quit whining.
6. Most importantly, don't worry about the bike. Every one that crashes wants to check on the bike before worrying about themselves. Bikes can be fixed anytime, people are the priority.

It would be a good thing for every rider to familiarize him/herself with arterial pressure points. In the event of a broken femur the chances of major artery damage are nearly 80% (mind you, damage, not necessarily severance). Simply knowing that heavy pressure applied to the subject's hip-flexer area can stop that bleeding can save a life. Knowing good ways to apply pressure are also important. For instance here, you might actually kneel with your knee pressed into the bend of your friend's hip. He's probably not going to like that too much, but you'll have plenty of time to listen to him bitch when he's still alive the next day. Arterial pressure points are GREAT things to learn.

I would like to add. i think we all should educate those around us to have some respect for us when on the rode. i think all to many of us have a family member who does not ride who drives like no one else matters. I saw some jack ass today riding a motorcycles ass with in a few inches for no good reason. when the rider signaled and moved lanes this asshole in the 4runner just pressed up onto the next car in front of him.. again with about 6 inches clearance.

The best thing we can do really is to educate people on courtesy driving procedures. well that and do like CB says and carry the desert eagle. lol

Never gave it much thought before now. Just made me some nice decals for the front and rear of my helmet that state my "Emergency Contact Info". :cool:

I was talking with a buddy at work and I think we are going to get some dog tags made up with emergency contact information. Emergency personal are trained to looked for tags and bracelets so I think it would work pretty well.

I like the other ideas everyone has come up with.

Yep, i like the "dog tag" idea too. I wore them for 12 years while in the Army. Guess i should get a set made up.

I know a guy who does dog tags, I think that is an even better idea than the stickers.
Just to reiterate the above statement (as an EMT) we will look for necklaces and bracelets for medical info, but in case of some moto accidents the jewelry can be ripped off. Keep a tag on you, and one on the bike. Let your fellow riders know where that info is before you go riding.