What To Do After A Bike Crash
- Assure the safety of yourself and the group
Get off the roadway if possible
May need to drag injured off of road if it is too unsafe (blind corner, overpass)
If not, alert oncoming traffic by any means
Preventing another accident with traffic is very important
- Call 911 for any injured riders (unless injuries are obviously very minor)
Greater speed of crash = more likelihood of injuries
Call early, EMS can always be cancelled
EMS has the training, experience and equipment to assess and treat the injured rider
After EMS assessment, a rider has the final say as to treatment/transport decisions
Remember that adenalin can mask or hide the effects of an injury after a crash - Cuts/abrassions are treated with clean water rinse, then bandaging
Major bleeding is treated with very firm, direct pressure over the wound
Use a shirt, sleeve, bandana in a pinch
Facial injuries may bleed heavily
Sutures are needed if cut is wide and will not heal on its own
Broken bones appear as reddened, swollen, deformed areas
Will likely have pain at the site, lose range of motion in affected extremity
Treatment includes limiting movement, splinting and X-Rays
The injured person will often "self" splint an upper extremity fracture
Riders with lower extremity fractures often cannot bear weight on injured leg
Signs of a head injury include: passing out, convulsions, confusion, dizziness
Requires medical evaluation
Treatment includes laying person flat, keeping them still/preventing movement until EMS takes over
May also have spinal injury as well
Signs of spinal injury: numbness, tingling, paralysis/weakness in an extremity/extremities
Also may have pain in area of spine that was injured
Treatment requires person to lay still until EMS takes over
