Secure the scene of the accident

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

In the event of a traffic accident, you as the first aider should secure the scene of the accident as quickly as possible - the unexpected obstacle on the road could otherwise cause further accidents. In addition, securing the scene of the accident can prevent you as a first aider and accident victim from being caught by vehicles speeding by. Find out here how you can secure an accident site without endangering yourself or other road users, and what steps should be taken afterwards.

Brief overview

What does protecting the accident site mean? Make the accident site visible to other road users at an early stage, among other things. by means of a warning triangle and hazard warning lights.
Secure the scene of the accident - this is how it works: Park your own vehicle on the edge of the road if possible, turn on hazard warning lights if necessary, put on a safety vest, set up a warning triangle at a sufficient distance from the scene of the accident.
In what cases? In traffic accidents, in a modified form, but also in accidents in the household, in companies, schools, kindergartens, etc. (e.g. switch off the electricity, switch off the machine).
Risks: If the first aider moves inattentively at the scene of the accident, he can be caught by a passing vehicle.

Caution!

In the event of a traffic accident, everyone whose behavior may have contributed to the accident is legally obliged to stop. Escape from an accident is just as punishable as failure to provide assistance.
First aiders should think about their own safety first, behave calmly and prudently at the scene of the accident and, if possible, only move around the edge of the road and / or behind the guardrail.
If a first aider starts to rescue the injured person or to provide first aid without securing the scene of the accident, he is endangering himself, the accident victims and also the road users passing through!
Only after securing the scene of the accident should you make the emergency call and provide first aid.

How should you protect an accident site?

Securing the scene of the accident - that is the first thing you should do as a first aider in a traffic accident if there is no other first aider or the emergency services on site. Only then should you provide first aid at the scene of the accident. How to secure an accident site:

Keep calm! If you run around the scene of the accident headless, you are only endangering yourself.
Parking the vehicle: If possible, park your vehicle on the edge of the lane, turn off the engine and turn on the hazard warning lights. The latter is especially important when it is dusk or when it is dark.
Safety vest and protective gloves: Put on the safety vest and put on medical gloves to protect yourself from possible infections if you come into contact with the injured person.
Setting up the warning triangle: Take the warning triangle out of the car and unfold it. Use it to approach the flowing traffic as much as possible, staying on the edge of the road or - even better - behind the guardrail. Place the warning triangle at a sufficient distance from the scene of the accident, i.e. around 100 meters from the scene of the accident (for orientation: the delineator posts on the side of the road are usually at a distance of 50 meters). If the accident is behind a hilltop, place the warning triangle on the other side of the hilltop. Approaching vehicles can then brake in good time.

Drivers are obliged to wear a reflective vest if they have to leave their vehicle due to an accident or breakdown on highways, in blind spots and in poor visibility. A safety vest must be carried with each car.

Securing the accident site - further steps

As soon as you have secured the scene of the accident, you should get an overview of the scene of the accident. After all, you can only provide first aid if you know “what's going on”. You also notice possible sources of danger and can either eliminate them (e.g. switch off the engine) or get to safety.

Now make an emergency call. It is important that you indicate:

where the accident happened
what's happened,
how many injured there are
what type of injury is present and
who is calling.

Do not hang up immediately afterwards, but stay on the line if you have any questions.

You can also ask other road users who have stopped to take over the emergency call or warn oncoming traffic.

Now give first aid: In the event of a traffic accident, you should get the injured person out of the danger zone as quickly as possible. If possible, pull the person affected - depending on the means of transport involved in the accident - out of the vehicle or carefully remove their helmet (rest your head behind your neck, grasp the helmet by the lower edge, pull it apart and remove it).

Check that the injured person is conscious. The next steps are based on this: Lay an approachable injured person as comfortably as possible, cover up and calm down (Caution: If spinal injuries are suspected, do not move the patient if possible - unless there is an immediate danger to his life, for example in a burning car!). If the bleeding is profuse, apply a pressure bandage.

If the victim is unconscious but breathing, place them on their side in a stable position. If he is no longer breathing, you must immediately start resuscitation (cardiac massage and resuscitation).

When do I secure an accident site?

According to the law, anyone whose behavior may have contributed to the accident in any way is considered to be involved in the accident. Everyone involved in the accident is obliged to stop, secure the scene of the accident, get an overview of the consequences of the accident and provide the necessary first aid after the emergency call.

Securing the scene of an accident can be necessary not only in the event of traffic accidents, but also in the event of accidents at school or kindergarten, at home or at work. Securing the scene of an accident includes, for example, turning off the electricity, switching off running machines and / or clearing unsecured objects from the danger zone.

Protect against risks at the scene of the accident

As a first aider, you should always think about your own safety at the scene of the accident. For example, if you do not walk along the edge of the lane to set up the warning triangle, but rather along it, the flowing traffic can see you. If you do not see if the vehicle in the accident is leaking gasoline before you approach it, you can put yourself at risk from an impending explosion.

So it always applies: Even if you are obliged to provide assistance, you do not have to risk your health or your life for it! Stay away from the vehicle involved in the accident if it is losing fuel or if the accident is in the middle of the motorway and make an emergency call. You can still secure the scene of the accident by setting up a warning triangle.

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