Agencies stress stopping to assist at accident scenes

By Sun Advocate

As the summer months start to heat up, vacation travelers will be hitting the roadways.
Because traffic flow increases during the summer months, chances are that accidents will occur more frequently. Therefore, Carbon County motorists are likely to encounter an accident before emergency personnel arrive at the scene.
Members of the general public can learn to stop and help, call emergency medical services, assess the situation, start the victim’s breathing and stop the bleeding until first responders arrive at the scene.
Often times, motorists will witness an accident or drive past one that has occurred and no action is taken.
The lack of attention to an emergency situation can mean life or death for the victims, according to state and national highway safety agencies.
It is crucially important to provide any help in an accident situation, stress the agencies.
Carbon County residents should consider the fact that rural areas have fewer people, but higher traffic fatality rates.
National statistics show that the majority of motor vehicle fatalities occur on rural roadways.
In rural areas, serious delays can occur between a crash and the call for emergency services.
Additionally, it takes longer for first responders to arrive on the scene due to the distances emergency crews must travel.
In an emergency situation, every second counts and bystanders or passing motorists can make the difference. But only if they take action, pointed out the agencies.
Five basic life-sustaining actions to perform in traffic accidents include:
•Stopping at the scene to help.
•Calling for emergency personnel.
•Assessing the victim.
•Starting the breathing of the victim.
•Stopping the bleeding.
Many vehicle accident deaths can be attributed to the lack of early intervention.
Fatalities often result due to an airway obstruction or blood loss.
Bystanders and eyewitnesses can t assist in resolving both conditions.
Bystanders and passing motorists frequently fail to stop at an accident scene because they lack formal training to assist victims.
But everyone can make a difference in an emergency situation.
Sometimes the simplest action can make the biggest difference, such as calling for emergency help, conclude the state and national highway safety agencies.