Rode up on first accident outside of hospital....

[shoegalRN]

Hey my fellow RN's! I need some advice.

I was on my way home from my moma's house and rode up on a car accident. Medics were not on the scene yet. I pull over, get out of my car and head to the first car. The guy is on his cell phone, says he hit his head, but otherwise ok. I hear medics running hot to the scene. I asked him if he knew what happened and he said "yeah". He knew what year it was and then he tells me to check on the guy in other car.

The other car is in the middle of the highway and traffic was stalled. I run over to the other car and bang on the window and he is also on his cell phone, he states he is not hurt and he is ok.

So, I leave since both guys are ok, the one who hit his head was A&O, and I heard sierens.

On the drive home, I couldnt help but think did the guy who hit his head may needed a CT? What if he had a brain bleed? Then I thought, I didnt even have any equipment in my car (only the kit the American Cross give you when you complete BLS) and even that was in my other car.

Would you have stayed? I'm wondering if I should have stayed until help actually got on the scene, although both parties "seemed" ok.

Now I'm beating myself up over this......

[shoegalRN, RN]

Because pulling over is dangerous, and as OCNRN63 said, you were potentially setting yourself up to be an additional casualty. You were clearly motivated by a desire to help, but jumping in to a situation that you aren't trained to handle is dangerous to you and the people who might have to in turn rescue you.

Did you look to see if there was any damage to the fuel tank, or leaking gasoline before approaching either car? It was raining- do you know how visible you were to other drivers? Had airbags deployed, and did you lean in to the car over the steering wheel?

I looked in the windows of both cars and saw air bags deployed in both cars. I didnt actually open the door and get in the car.

No, I didnt look for a leaking gasoline, but I also didnt smell gasoline either. Both cars were turned off and just sitting.

All I can tell you is that I had on a bright red jacket and other cars had on their lights, I could have been visible to some and not to others.

But thanks for providing another angle to this and I will remember these questions for the next time before stopping again.

[dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I]

Because pulling over is dangerous, and as OCNRN63 said, you were potentially setting yourself up to be an additional casualty. You were clearly motivated by a desire to help, but jumping in to a situation that you aren't trained to handle is dangerous to you and the people who might have to in turn rescue you.

Did you look to see if there was any damage to the fuel tank, or leaking gasoline before approaching either car? It was raining- do you know how visible you were to other drivers? Had airbags deployed, and did you lean in to the car over the steering wheel?

Good points all. "Scene safety" is always the first consideration for any responder, but for sake of argument we'll say you instictively did nothing to endanger yourself. I carry nothing but a pocket knife and trauma shears in my car. I'm adept at creating supplies from what's available, have seen exactly one car fire in 30 years, can apply direct pressure to severe bleeding (tourniquets are a bozo no-no, really). The knowledge that others are aware of the accident has a huge calming affect for the victims. I guess everybody decides for themselves if they should stop or not, knowing their own limits. I always stop and identify myself as a nurse. Hope this doesn't set off arguments or flames. Just MHO.

[KateRN1]

Call me an idiot, but I always stop if there are no other responders on the scene. Just a couple of weekends ago, I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a 2-year-old and his father struck by a car. Boy was on bike, dad was walking beside when somebody rolled through a stop sign and hit them as they were crossing. Knocked the kid off the bike and the dad to the ground. Before I could get to them, dad had picked the kid up off the street and taken him over to the sidewalk. Quick assessment told me dad was probably okay but kid was bleeding from the mouth. Dad kept trying to pick kid up and swing him around to calm him, tried to take helmet off, etc. It took me yelling at him to get it through, but I finally got the kid immobilized, checked pupils, ribs, worked my way down to his broken femur. Dad was talking about taking kid home, taking off helmet, getting kid a drink of water. I shudder to think what might have happend to the kid if no one with first aid training had been there. It was a solid 10 or 15 minutes before EMS finally showed up--and the station was only 2 miles away. I had no equipment with me, no gloves, not even a stethoscope, but believe I still made a difference in the outcome. Never underestimate the power of a calm person with some basic assessment skills. (I waited until everyone was gone before I freaked out on my husband.)

[shoegalRN, RN]

The problem is, if someone wasn't OK, then what? Then you would have been in the position of being a licensed caregiver at the scene. You'd have basically had your hands tied with no equipment and no one else to help you. Good Samaritan laws may have covered whatever care you may have provided, but you'd have still been in a very complicated position. What if both people had been badly injured? Would you have felt confident in your ability to triage the situation?

These are among the many reasons why I don't stop at accidents. I'll call 911, but stop? No. I know what my limits are.

So, it's ok not to stop in the future? I am not trying to be smart, I'm asking because I was under the impression as a RN, you have an oligation to stop at an accident and the good samaritian laws will protect you.

Next time, it's calling 911 as I drive right past.......

[General E. Speaking, RN, RN]

In some rural areas you are required by law to stop (if I have my facts straight). This doesn't seem like the case. I'm on the fence. I guess it will depend on the situation. I am not one to hang stethoscopes from my rear view mirror, have the nursing license plates or be an all around Ranger Rick. I prefer to be a little more covert. I suppose instinct would take over and I would absolutely feel the need to stop if it wasn't a well-traveled area, the accident was bad enough that there were probably serious injuries and I thought I could do something useful.

I am in a populated area but you never know. Luckily, I haven't been subjected to this situation.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

So, it's ok not to stop in the future? I am not trying to be smart, I'm asking because I was under the impression as a RN, you have an oligation to stop at an accident and the good samaritian laws will protect you.

Next time, it's calling 911 as I drive right past.......

Just be careful. If you do decide to stop, stay until EMS gets there.

It's not just about getting sued- it's about making sure you are physically safe too.

[OttawaRPN]

The first rule of emergency first aid - survey the scene/assess hazards; take note of leaking fuel, fires, traffic, downed power lines - if you can't enter the area w/o risking your safety, don't do it. No brainer.

Always get consent from conscious victims before touching them, for the unconscious casualty consent is implied as it's generally accepted that most people want to live.

Has no one else taken emergency scene management? I'm surprised that some people could just walk away.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Has no one else taken emergency scene management? I'm surprised that some people could just walk away.

Everything I know about scene safety comes from being married to a paramedic It wasn't something that was covered in nursing school.

[kesr]

As a human being I cannot imagine NOT stopping to render basic first aid and comfort. Sometimes just keeping someone company until EMS arrives is all that is needed. I usually do not identify myself as a nurse. How did we become so self centered and paranoid that a person in distress can be ignored? The only times I have not stopped have been when there already were plenty of people at the scene.

[shoegalRN, RN]

As a human being I cannot imagine NOT stopping to render basic first aid and comfort. Sometimes just keeping someone company until EMS arrives is all that is needed. I usually do not identify myself as a nurse. How did we become so self centered and paranoid that a person in distress can be ignored? The only times I have not stopped have been when there already were plenty of people at the scene.

I would have not stopped had there been someone at the scene.

I would have felt guilty if I would have kept on driving and not atleast called 911. Nobody had stopped and I felt a desire and obligation to atleast make sure those involved were okay.

I did not identify myself as a nurse.

But now I'm learning I need to think a little bit wiser if this happens again. It was my first scene and I felt obligated to stop. I do regret leaving before EMS arrived, although I knew they were on the way.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Good points all. "Scene safety" is always the first consideration for any responder, but for sake of argument we'll say you instictively did nothing to endanger yourself. I carry nothing but a pocket knife and trauma shears in my car. I'm adept at creating supplies from what's available, have seen exactly one car fire in 30 years, can apply direct pressure to severe bleeding (tourniquets are a bozo no-no, really). The knowledge that others are aware of the accident has a huge calming affect for the victims. I guess everybody decides for themselves if they should stop or not, knowing their own limits. I always stop and identify myself as a nurse. Hope this doesn't set off arguments or flames. Just MHO.

You also are highly experienced in this area and know what you're doing. There's a big difference here between your stopping at a scene v someone stopping who doesn't have that kind of expertise. I worked in the ED for a couple of years and I don't feel competent to stop at an accident scene.

I think good intentions are wonderful, but they can get people in trouble.

FWIW, my trauma shears are at home so I can whack open the stupid hard plastic packaging everything seems to be enveloped in these days.

[OCNRN63, RN]

So, it's ok not to stop in the future? I am not trying to be smart, I'm asking because I was under the impression as a RN, you have an oligation to stop at an accident and the good samaritian laws will protect you.

Next time, it's calling 911 as I drive right past.......

How would anyone know you're an RN, unless you have your car emblazoned with all sorts of RN gew-gaws? I'm unaware of any law requiring health care professionals to stop (at least in my state). It would be unenforceable.

For the record, I didn't go for the specialty plates.