An accident can be witnessed by a driver, a pedestrian or a passenger. If at the same time he saw not only the very fact of the accident, but could also observe exactly how it happened, the person becomes an important witness. In such a situation, it is important to remain calm, not to panic. And do not pass by! Perhaps someone needs urgent help.
What to do to witnesses of an accident
If the perpetrator of the accident has left the scene, the witness must write down or remember the license plate, model and color of the car and, if possible, the number of passengers sitting in it, in order to further inform the police about all this. You should approach damaged cars very carefully, remembering to look at your feet: there may be glass fragments and fragments of parts on the ground, gasoline or oil may be spilled. If gasoline does not flow from the car, and the sound of the engine running is not heard, then you should not be afraid of an explosion. Otherwise, it is better not to approach the car.
Even if there are several eyewitnesses to the accident, you still should not leave - suddenly you will need to urgently go to the pharmacy or provide some other help.
First of all, you should pay attention to the victims: see if they are conscious, check their pulse and breathing. A victim who is conscious should be asked what hurts him, if he is unconscious - quickly examine him for bleeding, open wounds, fractures.
Naturally, you need to immediately call the rescue service and tell what happened. Give the exact address, the number of direct participants in the accident, the number of victims. The dispatcher of the rescue service himself will send an ambulance and the police to the place.
It cannot be said that on the territory of Russia the unified telephone of the rescue service works flawlessly. In emergency cases, it is safer to call the old-fashioned way: separately to the ambulance, separately to the police.
You can provide first aid to the injured before the ambulance arrives. If there is a suspicion that the victim has an injured spine, pull him out of the car and generally cannot be moved!
How to help victims of road accidents
If a motorcyclist is injured, it is worth taking off his helmet only in one case: he is not breathing, he needs artificial respiration. If there are no breathing problems, even if he is unconscious, you cannot take off the helmet. Very often motorcyclists in road accidents suffer spinal and neck injuries, which can be aggravated by trying to remove their helmet.
The victim, who is conscious, should be asked for his name, age and the phone number of a loved one who can be informed about the incident. At the same time, it is better not to touch the personal belongings of the victims, unless they themselves ask for it.
If there are victims in serious condition, they should not be left. You need to be near and, if necessary, start doing artificial respiration and heart massage.
It is also worth taking care of other road users - put up emergency signs so that those passing along the same road can see the accident and slow down. Warning stop signs must be in every vehicle.
When the emergency services arrive, you need to calmly tell them everything that is known about the accident: how it happened, what assistance was provided to the victims, what information was learned from them.
You should not leave the scene of an accident in the hope that someone else will provide first aid and testify. There may not be any other witnesses. It should be remembered that this can happen to anyone, and only on the consciousness of witnesses someone's life can depend.
