I was the first responder to a car accident today

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in LTC.

i was driving in my car when i witnessed a 3 car accident. a truck ran a light and two other cars were hit. the truck flipped over to its side. my immediate reaction was:eek::eek::eek::eek:. i pulled over, got my cpr mask ( which was conveniently in my purse:rolleyes:) and ran over to the scene and started to assess all persons involved. i went to each car to make sure everyone was alert, breathing, and etc. thankfully no one was seriously injured. one guy involved was c/o chest pain and neck pain. another guy was limping and c/o pain to his ble, i sent someone to get ice and i applied it to his legs. i stayed until ems came and gave them report. i also encouraged everyone involved to go to the hospital. one bystander asked what kind of nursing i do. i said currently peds. he said " wow, how were you able to handle all those grown men"? i said once a nurse always a nurse no matter what your specialty is.

i always used to ask myself would i ever stop to aide in an accident. i guess i answered my question today. if it were my loved one i would want anyone with any knowledge of basic first aid and cpr to assist.

it felt really good to offer my assistance today. :nurse:

Specializes in Critical care (coronary care).

hi dear,

I appreciate your work. in the future it's better that you do "Size-up" first of all.

as EMS educator, I advice you about this words:

first safety then helping.

so, I very very very appreciate your sacrificy

Specializes in Emergency.

Good job. Ever think about joining your local rescue squad (if you have volunteer squads that is)?

Specializes in LTC.
hi dear,

I appreciate your work. in the future it's better that you do "Size-up" first of all.

as EMS educator, I advice you about this words:

first safety then helping.

so, I very very very appreciate your sacrificy

Thanks. I did make sure the scene was safe first. My safety comes first always.

Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.

it felt really good to offer my assistance today. :nurse:

good for you. general consensus on allnurses seems to be that if you are not at work and see anyone in need - run the other way as fast as humanly possible.

Specializes in LTC.
Good for you. General consensus on allnurses seems to be that if you are not at work and see anyone in need - RUN the other way as fast as humanly possible.

I notice that too, so I prepared myself for all types of responses.

I have had to stop for several car accidents. One was after and SUV flipped over and was blocking a lane completely. Keep in mind that this was at 6:30 in the morning, on a major highway leading to 6 local hospitals. I sincerely doubt (since I did not witness the accident) that I was the only nurse to pass through. It was such a horrific accident that the man's wallet was found about 500 ft away. It had been in his pocket. I commend you for stopping and doing what is right. Not too many nurses do it nowadays.

Specializes in LTC.
I have had to stop for several car accidents. One was after and SUV flipped over and was blocking a lane completely. Keep in mind that this was at 6:30 in the morning, on a major highway leading to 6 local hospitals. I sincerely doubt (since I did not witness the accident) that I was the only nurse to pass through. It was such a horrific accident that the man's wallet was found about 500 ft away. It had been in his pocket. I commend you for stopping and doing what is right. Not too many nurses do it nowadays.

Thanks. I definitely don't have any negative feelings toward nurses that don't stop. Some people just rather not get involved and leave work at work. I totally respect that. To each its own.

Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

Oh honey-thank goodness everyone was relatively ok and that you didn't walk into a shocking mess.

Seems like this little lift was just what you needed in your life right now;)

Proud of you!

one bystander asked what kind of nursing i do. i said currently peds. he said " wow, how were you able to handle all those grown men"?

i would have been awfully tempted to ask what is the difference?:D

You are my role model now. I'm the kind of person who is inclined to respond, but I worry if I will be crippled by my mind going blah at crunch time. I have just enough knowledge to assess whether people in a car accident are stable or unstable. One of my goals after graduation is to take an EMT-B course at the local community college. Just that basic course can assist greatly in situations outside the hospital.

Specializes in LTC.
You are my role model now. I'm the kind of person who is inclined to respond but I worry if I will be crippled by my mind going blah at crunch time. I have just enough knowledge to assess whether people in a car accident are stable or unstable. One of my goals after graduation is to take an EMT-B course at the local community college. Just that basic course can assist greatly in situations outside the hospital.[/quote']

That is a great idea to take an EMT-B course ! The main thing to realize is not to do anything that would cause further harm. Never move a person and things like that. I also made sure 911 was called. I was going to call but then some other people had their cellphones out too. Never a dull moment...

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