I’m writing an article for Commercial Motor about fire fighting and first aid training for drivers. If anybody has any views on this, I’d like to hear them. I’m particularly interested if anybody has any stories of when they, or someone else, has used first aid on the road to help someone. Or maybe a situation they found themselves in when they wished they had a bit more training than they had, either in first aid or fire fighting.
Remember that I’m going to be writing about this, so just let me know if you mind being named in the article or not. Of course I’ll respect any confidentiality requests.
Thanks in advance for your help.
yes.
i pulled a girl from a lake and got the water from her lungs, then she legged it and went off with her friends. she said thanks, but it took a while.
another time, a bloke was ■■■■■■ up and he fell from a roof, his head was a bit mashed, but i got him breathing, he came out of hospital about a month later, and he told me that he couldn’t drink for about six years, so it was lucky he fell when he did.
i think every truck driver should know a bit of first aid, it should be part of the driver cpc.
i have been trained in both and would assist if necessary but despite stopping to check drivers are ok on several occasions, nothing more than minor assistance with the truck has been required. not that i would like to discover a driver in those circumstances of course
i did a first aid appointed persons training once, and there said to me if your out and about do not give first aid as you could be prosecuted for any injuries that may of being coursed by me
I witnessed a lady career up the embankment and go through the windscreen m11 southbound.hard shoulder,stopped.Others stopped,told them all to contact emergency servicesboth mobile and emergency phone. Comforted her and held her arms to stop her from trying to scratch the glass from her eyes and face.Then had to stop do gooders from giving her drink.Kept her safe and warm till paramedics arrived then left.
Don’t forget your seatbelts people!
came across a car in the centre barrier on the m62, near the a1 a few years back.
it had just happened, and car was in abit of a blind spot, and was in danger of getting hit, by anything coming down the outside lane, so i used my artic as a block, across lanes 2 and 3, as it was so visible too approaching traffic.
myself and another passer by went over too the car, the elderly driver, was collapsed across the seats. we managed too force open a door, and he had a pulse, so we didn’t move him.
(i’d like too add, at this point, ive never, unfortunately, done any first aid courses.) after a minute or two, whilst we were waiting for the emergency services too arrive, the old boys pulse had stopped 
so me and the other guy, had the choice, of not moving him, incase of further injury, but if we left him, he could die. obviously, we did move him, turned out, the other passer by, had done first aid, so he did mouth too mouth, why i did the heart massage, and after what seemed an age, the old guy started breathing again , i couldn’t believe it, although he was out of it, he had a pulse, and was breathing.
luckily, the fire brigade then turned up, and took over from us, till the paramedics arrived. they got the guy in the ambulance, and worked on him, a further 30 minutes, till they seemed too have him stable, and take him off too hospital.
i remeber after, sitting on the crash barrier, whilst the police dealt with the scene, marking the road out etc, the whole thing seemed so surreal, and although i’d not done any first aid, at least what myself and the other guy did, got the old boy breathing again, till the pro’s arrived and took over.
if ever a course came up for first aid, i’d def wanna get on it.
It’s may be shame on me, but I would like to share my experience with you.
I was trained for a first aid many time - I was a scouting supervisor, I was working with kids and first aid training is also part of Polish driving license course. So I did it a few times and I had to refresh it reguralry working with phantom body etc etc.
One day I was walking along the street together with my friend, who was a paramedic from ambulance service. Suddenly we saw a terrible motorbike accident - motorbike carrying two people hit a taxi, then flew above it and hit a group of pedestrians awaiting a green light to pass the road. (As I found later, there were three deaths). We ran to help the injured and I slipped on something slippery. When I regained my balance I saw, that it was someone’s crashed skull with a brain and other ugly things spilled on the road.
I always had a good notes on our first aid training, but instead of being helpfull I was sitiing and vomiting in the bushes and when the ambulances arrived they came to see me as they though as I am a one of the victims of the crash.
I could not be alone home this night, so I drove to my friends, where we (mostly me) went heavily drunk.
I wanted to do a course for voluntary road accident paramedics with Polish Automobil Club, but after that experience I gave up.
Apart of that I had once to assist with epypepsy attack, and I knew what to do, it was in the supermarket and there was a doctor on the spot as well - she told me that my actions were very proffesional… But I HOPE never to witness such terrible crashes again.
This is one of the reasons why I believe the drivers CPC is a farce, As regular road users many of us will at some point will be the first people on the scene of a RTA, If we have to have training by law, basic first aid should be a compulsory component of that.
As it stands the training could simply be how to smile nicely at the grouchy goods in clerk. this is something that would benefit all, especially those unfortunate to be first on scene, there is nothing worse than being confronted by a situation like a bad RTA and not knowing what to do.
Basic first aid is not open heart surgery, 99% is doing nothing more than ensuring the situation you are faced with does not get worse before the profesionals arrive.
If its not a complusary of the part of the drivers CPC its a disgrace, and makes more of a mockery of the training.
Iv had to use it on a few occasions. I got red cross 1st aid trained when i was at school and since then used it in a truck stop to assist a very drunk austrian who had split his head open and was unconcious. Been given 1st aid training is not very hard and has got to be one of the best things iv ever learnt. Although its not used very often its one thing that sticks in your head and yes i agree it should be taught at driving lessons.
Sometimes you may know what you should do, but…
It’s still moving, even after all these years.
I am a diving instructor with Basic Life Support also did first aid, fire fighting with navel service in Ireland. Had to use it for minor emergencies ie shock cut or bruise. But have seen people freeze when they come across an accident. So no matter how much training you have its not for everyone we all do thing differently
Basic first aid
is as simply as A B C 
and as Rikki says it should be part
of the Dcpc
My first aid skills are quite extensive, i’ve been trained in first aid for over 25 years. I’ve been a first aider with the British Red Cross for the last 15 years in which time i’ve become ambulance trained and also trained in fire victim support and automated external defibrillator. For the last 5 years, i’ve been a first aid trainer/assessor. It’s put me in a good position as a HATO as I tend to be first on scene at a number of serious RTC’s. I normally deal with any casualties whilst my partner does the traffic management whilst we wait for ambo to arrive.
i was trained as a first aider via work in the 90s…treated a few cuts and bruises… one night about 5 years ago i had a knock on my door…the old lady from next door asking for help as her husband had fallen out of bed…i went round and the old boy had had a heart attack…he was on the floor and she had put a cover over him…not sure how long she waited before coming round but i called 999 and gave him cpr…but i think it was already too late…the ambulance people tried their best but he was pronounced dead later in hospital.
hitch:
Basic first aid is as simply as A B C
LIKE THESE ? type FIRST AID into the keywords search 
I was involved in a bad accident several years ago. I was sitting at traffic lights at a cross roads in lane 2 a car on my left in lane 1, a double decker bus was coming towards us on green, half way through the juction he was hit by a car from our right that didn’t even slow down for the red light.
the bus got knocked off course hit me on the nose and pushed me into the cars behind then when we couldn’t go back any farther it went up in the air and landed on top of the car in lane 1crushing it.
I got out and got on the bus,helped the driver out of his seat then went to the back and opened the emergency door and got the driver to help the people off the bus, then checked upstairs(fortunately empty),then went to the car under the bus.
The driver was still alive but i could tell he was in a bad way as i spoke to him,his daughter was crying and very scared as you would expect. All i could do was lie there and talk to them to try and comfort them at the same time trying to get their names etc.
Then the fire service and the police arrived at virtually the same time, the firemen told me to let them take over so i went over to where the passengers were sitting and helped put a few bandages on cut heads etc.
In the end up the man in the car died at the scene fortunately his daughter was unhurt and all the bus passengers were ok or with only minor injuries.
Do i think first aid should be part of the Dcpc ? “NO” because it would make people think that it will be alright there will be a lorry driver along soon to help until the professionals get here. And then it would only be a matter of time before a driver is in court accused of causing more harm to the person they were trying to help. first aid should only be done on a voluntary basis
grousebeater:
Do i think first aid should be part of the Dcpc ? “NO” because it would make people think that it will be alright there will be a lorry driver along soon to help until the professionals get here. And then it would only be a matter of time before a driver is in court accused of causing more harm to the person they were trying to help. first aid should only be done on a voluntary basis
Couldn’t agree more. We carry first aid kits, other than putting a plaster on my finger i wouldn’t know what to do with half of it. I’m also no good near anyone with blood so i’d doubt i could actually do anything even if i wanted to.
i came across a serious motor bike accident and my minimal first training gave me the confidence to do nothing because there was nothing i could apart from talking to the motorcyclist (trying to keep him conscous) until the experts arrived. i like to think my actions gave the poor lad the best chance of survival. other people on the scene wanted to remove his helmet and turn him over into a more comfortable position!!!
The first FA course we did with the H.A. was pretty basic, it was only on getting feedback from the TO’s on the ground, as to the types of injuries we were being confronted with, that more indepth training was given.
SHAME ON ME!,this is one thing i always tell myself im going to do,but alas,i keep talking about it and never do it.a first aid course.
a few years back,1990 to be precise i"d not long passed my car test,and was coming back from our edinburgh depot after picking up a 7.5 tonner with my supervisor(who was in front with a “proper” drawbar,when just before alnwick,a bus travelling south with a full load of passangers going to newcastle races turned upside down,down a ditch.on that day,everyone who could dragged people out of that bus and assisted in whichever way they could.luckily for me,and for the injured,loads of trained emergency service personnel,were on scene within what seemed like minutes.since then,i have vowed to do some basic training,but never have.i hope i am never the first to come across an accident first.