ACT, DON’T LOOK

Chisom got knocked by a motorcycle on her way back from work, unfortunately, the driver happened to be a hit-and-run driver, she was not in any way expecting an accident, of course, no one expects to be knocked down!

People were beginning to gather around her, some people showed sympathy by raining insults on the driver while others just wanted to hear the full list of what happened.

They had assisted her in getting off the road but unfortunately, she had already sprained her ankle, and no one was willing to help, others were making videos of the accident scene as they kept crowding the environment.

At this point, Chisom wished someone could come to her rescue or at least help her get to the hospital, but the current crowd didn’t seem like they were ready for all of that, luckily for her a good Samaritan came around, asking people to give her space so she could breathe, he quickly helped her out by taking her to the nearest pharmacy for adequate medical care.

Accidents come unannounced, they don’t come knocking at your doorstep giving you a heads up before happening.

In Nigeria, approximately 8.8 thousand injuries and 1.4 thousand deaths have been recorded in the previous quarter of the year, this result seems not to be changing and Chisom happens to be a victim.

Chisom was lucky to receive assistance at last from someone while others stood, take pictures, and give situation reports without helping out, this single act of ignorance has led to the loss of many lives today, as our emergency response system is very low, or do we talk about the society who’s the first call of action in an accident scene is to just video and take pictures only? Without first putting the victim out of danger.

The question is how then do you help an accident victim?

Here are some tips to practice when you encounter an emergency.

1. Check out if the environment is safe enough for the accident victim.

An accident is mostly not safe after accidents have occurred, broken bottles or any other harmful materials could be on site.

2. Remain calm and access the situation for any immediate danger before rushing to help the casualty

Remember it is an accident scene so be careful not to become a causality in the process of helping out.

3. Avoid crowding the casualty.

People are fund of crowding accident victims, this is they need an aerated environment without anybody choking on them.

4. Call for Help!

While you assist in getting in the victims into safety, place a call through for help, and do not wait for help to magically appear.

5. Help stop the bleeding.

If the victim is bleeding, stop it by applying a little pressure on the wounded area to stop blood flow, (kindly do not cover the the the blood with wounded hands for safety reasons).

6. Do not move victims too much.

Avoid moving them to multiple places except you are taking them to the hospital/ pharmacy for proper care.

Casualties with multiple fractures do not need too much movement to avoid more injuries.

7. Stay, do not leave the victim

If you already called for help, do not leave the victim, stay calm until they get the proper care.

We at Health Emergency Initiative have been able to train individuals to become First Responders and help improve the emergency response system of our country, educating them with vital information on CPR/First Aid skills, and also helping to provide that first initial payment to resuscitate and stabilize accident victims. We are very committed to bringing a better improvement to the emergency response system of our country Nigeria.

Visit us at www.hei.org.ng to know more about us and how you can be a part of our progress in society today.

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