We see a plume of dust signaling one or more vehicles have left the roadway. There are just seconds to do the right things for these unfortunates. Little is written about what to do if you drive up upon an accident other than call the authorities. Many Americans just stand and watch like they are watching a television show. While they are just standing some people die who could have been saved.
My uncle, Ralph Smith, was a Safety Engineer for the New Mexico State Highway Department as I was growing up so I was steeped in this question. My response to collisions is somewhat automatic though every crash is different.
The first thing to do is to keep oncoming vehicles from running through the crash site. People must go quite a ways in both directions to stop oncoming traffic. Wave, shout and stop oncoming cars. It is a tragedy to be in a crash and even worse to be killed because an oncoming vehicle runs through the crash site.
Then try to help the injured. How much? My rule is that if it seems to me I can help, I do. The first thing is to get the walking wounded to lie down out of harm’s way. Obviously get people out of vehicles that might catch on fire if you can. Naturally stop the blood flow of injuries. Further, it is vital that when emergency workers arrive that you point them to the injured needing assistance immediately.
Finally, when the dust settles and the injured are on their way to a hospital it is helpful to give a verbal report along with your name and phone number on a piece of paper to the police. This way they can more easily reconstruct what happened both at the start of the collision and before they got there.
Finally, when the dust settles and the injured are on their way to a hospital it is helpful to give a verbal report along with your name and phone number on a piece of paper to the police. This way they can more easily reconstruct what happened both at the start of the collision and before they got there.
Each of us must decide if and how to help. But help we must. Our society now has a syndrome that cropped up in the last few years. One friend was struggling to stop a bleeding wound and noticed the only other person who could have helped was standing back with his cell phone making a YouTube video. When my friend asked for help the guy ignored my friend and just kept making the video.
When the authorities came my friend let them take care of the injured. Right or wrong he then found the guy who refused to help still recording instead of helping. The story I got was that my friend slapped that silly ass hard. I guess the slap across the kisser came as a surprise to Mr. YouTube and may have ruined his video.
Well, I was not there so I do not know for sure what really happened. But know this: I too will do that if we are short of helpers at a collision site and someone does not help and instead stands around with a cell phone recording. We can go to court and they can prosecute SlapGate. You can make the case that it is your right to not help people stay alive. Heck, the Judge might even slap you silly again.
Now if there are enough people at a crash site, I stay away. I am not a voyeur. Years ago I worked for KOB-TV in Albuquerque. One night at an accident a different station’s videographer said, “This is great!” Sad.
Americans have been great helpers in disasters. I hope we Americans continue that tradition of helping even if it means we do not get the YouTube video we want. We can live with missing the video but keeping people alive.
Dr. Michael Swickard hosts the syndicated radio talk show News New Mexico six to nine a.m. Monday - Friday on a number of New Mexico radio stations and through streaming. Email: michael@swickard.com
Dr. Michael Swickard hosts the syndicated radio talk show News New Mexico six to nine a.m. Monday - Friday on a number of New Mexico radio stations and through streaming. Email: michael@swickard.com
