Finding a downed motorcyclist

Hey everyone, I hope the new year is going well for all of you. Today me and girlfriend were driving to the store when we happened upon a motorcyclist who had lost control of his bike. I figured today would be a good time for a reminder of what to do if you find someone who’s been in an accident; specifically a motorcyclist.Take a deep breath and don’t panic.-slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Do what you can to get to the motorcyclist safely. Watch out for other cars, or anything else that might become a hazard. Obey traffic laws just like it’s any other ordinary day. Don’t get yourself hurt trying to help.-put your hazard light on (or At least a blinker or something, use good judgement)-if you can, park your vehicle about a hundred feet or so from the motorcyclist, between them and oncoming traffic to block yourself and them from vehicles. If a car hits your vehicle, the space gives you a buffer zone. If you’re also on a bike and can’t really block traffic, and they’re in like... the middle of the highway at 3am, where they’re a good chance you could get hit and you don’t have protection, consider moving the motorcyclist to a safer area (off to the side of the road, shoulder, etc.) not too far. You want to minimize moving them as much as possible.If there’s anyone around, get them to call 911 (or whatever number it is to call emergency services in your country)-you want to single someone out. Point at them and say “you, call 911” Sometimes if you tell a group to do something, everyone will assume someone else is doing it, and no one does it.-If you’re alone, call 911 yourself and put them on speaker. You’ll need two free hands.-be ready to give an address, or at least a general area. Nearby landmarks like businesses, restaurants, schools, etc. can be very helpful in pinpointing your location.-If you’re on a highway, things like in/outbound, north/south/east/westbound, near the on/off ramp can be very helpful.-cross streets can help too. If you’re going down Maple street, and the motorcyclist is laying near dove road, those would be your cross streets (because they cross).Keep the motorcyclist still-don’t remove their helmet, but if they have a visor you can flip it up (carefully, without moving their head in the process)-if they’re awake, tell them not to move and talk to them.-ask if anything hurts, if they remember what happened, if they know where they are, what their name is, what the day and date is, etc. and keep talking with them.-be calm about it, if you’re panicking, they probably will be too. It’s okay, these things happen. You’re just two people having a chat.-if they unconscious, keep their head in an “in line and neutral position” (google it, and the proper way to do that) and don’t move. Help should be there soon so just hold tight. If their neck is broken, you want to keep all that good stuff from shifting around.-if they’re on their stomach (prone) and they have a backpack on, undo the straps and get it off, if you can do so without moving them.-check their mouth. If there’s not a lot of blood coming out, you’re on a flat surface, and they don’t have a backpack on, continue holding their head while you and at least one other person roll them onto their back (supine) (google the proper technique for this. It’s commonly called a “log roll”).Check for excessive bleeding-if they have blood coming from somewhere, and it just keep coming out, and there a LOT of it, make sure there’s no foreign objects jammed in the wound, and put pressure on the wound, lots of pressure, and don’t let go until a pro takes over.When police, fire, or ems arrives to take over, tell them everything you know, everything you’ve seen, and everything you’ve done, but try to get to the point and don’t ramble. “The person who got here before me said they saw him lose control of the motorcycle when he crashed. No one hit him. They said he was probably going about 40mph. When I got here he was laying on his stomach, unconscious, snoring, and shaking. His face is pretty busted up and he’s scraped all over. I removed his backpack, and we rolled him onto his back and kept his head still. I couldn’t find an ID.” Ask if there’s anything else they need from you and then stay back while they get the motorcyclist into an ambulance, or go ahead and leave if they say it’s okay to go.Feel free to direct if no one else is. If there’s a lot of people there, give each person a task instead of trying to do it all yourself. If someone is there directing, play your part and be as helpful as you can.It’s late, so if I forgot anything or got something wrong, feel free to chime in. Love you guys <3 Thanks for reading. Stay safe out there and take care of each other. via /r/motorcycles https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/ae41a1/finding_a_downed_motorcyclist/?utm_source=ifttt