While out on the road, you see a motorcycle accident. What should you do and how can you help? We talked to the Orange County, California Fire Authority to find out.
Photo: Wes was first-on-scene to this lane splitting accident. He stopped traffic, shut down the bike and made sure the rider was safe and stable (and the car drivers didn't leave) until police and fire services showed up.
1. Call 911. You’d be surprised how often this is forgotten or delayed. Do it right away, every minute counts when someone’s life is at risk. Report the exact location of the incident and basic details of what has happened.
2. Do not attempt to remove helmets. According to Captain Jon Muir of the Orange County Fire Authority, you stand a chance of doing more damage if you try and remove a rider’s helmet.
“Do not ever remove a crash helmet,” he says. “There could be vertebrae fractures or something even worse. Our own paramedic teams will leave a helmet on a rider until they have been taken to the trauma center to be checked out.”