On Saturday 18 June, Bjørn (32) and Therese (29) were on their way from Bergen to Oslo with a moving load. Suddenly they came across a serious traffic accident in Hallingdal. Both want to be anonymous so that the focus is not on them. A man in his 60s lay motionless in the roadway partly under the guardrail wearing full motorcycle equipment, Bjørn says. His motorcycle was in a ditch 800 meters away. The cohabiting couple were among the first on the site. Several passers-by came along. The cohabiting couple was on their way by car from Bergen to Oslo. – I heard Therese say “something has happened here”. We stopped the car and ran straight to the man. When we saw how serious it was, it went cold down the backs of both, says Bjørn. While Therese coordinated with the emergency services on the phone, Bjørn quickly set in motion with life-saving measures. – We managed to get caught up in the chaos and went into a mode with each other. Her calmness made me calm and opposite. Others also helped and made a fantastic effort. The man was badly injured, and eventually stopped breathing. Bjørn started cardiopulmonary resuscitation and continued until the emergency services arrived. But life could not be saved. – Even though we found a slight hope that we worked together in that situation, it feels so incredibly painful that it did not go well. I’m left with the idea that I want to be better next time. Bjørn and his cohabitant have talked a lot about the incident afterwards. They want to be anonymous so that the focus is not on them. Photo: Privat The cohabiting couple and the others who contributed in the attempt to save the man’s life were later praised by the emergency services for their efforts. They did what to do if you come to an accident site first. Traffic accidents so far in 2022 During the first six months of the year, 63 people died in traffic. That is twice as many as in 2021, with 31 dead at the end of June. May this year was the worst accident month in six years. 21 people died only in May, and in June 16 people lost their lives. Source: Norwegian Public Roads Administration – Ordinary people can make a vital contribution Marius Rehn is an air ambulance doctor at Oslo University Hospital. He says that the most dangerous thing is if no one does anything in such a situation. – Ordinary people can make a vital contribution. It is much better to try than to do nothing. Marius Rehn is an air ambulance doctor and senior researcher at the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. Photo: Stiftelsen Norsk Luftambulanse In places where no form of first aid has been provided, the emergency services have a much poorer starting point when they provide advanced first aid, Rehn adds. – The statistics are clear that there has unfortunately been a very negative development with the number of fatalities in traffic. This is a trend we must reverse and then all measures are important, says Rehn. This is his advice to passers-by who come across a serious traffic accident: Securing the accident site The first thing you need to do is secure the accident site. If you are driving in your own car, you must turn on the hazard warning lights and move the car out of the roadway to avoid new accidents. Put on a reflective vest and put out a warning triangle. Contact the emergency services After the accident site has been secured, you must try to get a quick overview of the situation. Then you alert 113. A person from the emergency center will give you advice and obtain information in order to initiate the correct response. Provide free airway and stop bleeding If you come across a person who is seriously injured, check if he is breathing. Listen and feel if air comes out of your mouth and nose. If not, it is important to ensure a free airway. You do this by stabilizing your head and bending it gently backwards, so that you push your jaw forward. Then the patient has free passage of air through the breathing tube. This also applies if the injured person is inside the vehicle. This ensures free airways if the injured person is still in the car. Illustration: Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation If the person bleeds, try to stop the bleeding. You can do this by pressing clothes hard against the place where it bleeds. Do not be afraid to stop the blood supply. The most important thing is that it stops bleeding. Taking care of the injured person Once you have secured a free airway and stopped any bleeding, it is important to protect the injured person from wind, precipitation and cold. Talk calmly with the injured person if he is conscious. If the injured person still does not breathe If you do not succeed in getting the person to breathe, you must start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Inform the person at the emergency center that the patient is lifeless and not breathing. Place your hands on top of each other in the middle of the chest and press 30 times vertically down about five centimeters each time. Then blow in twice calmly so that you see the chest rise. Continue with 30 compressions and two breaths until the emergency services arrive. If you are unsure, ask the person at the emergency center for help. If the injured person is trapped If the injured person is trapped in the vehicle, it is important to think about several things. First of all is your own safety. Make sure that there is no danger of other cars driving into the car wreck before you get in. Beware of glasses and airbags that have not been triggered. When you feel the situation is secured, you can check your breathing and secure free airways. If this does not help, try to get the person out of the car to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. If the injured person is a motorcycle driver Motorcyclists are more exposed than those who drive a car. If you are unsure whether the person is breathing, open the visor on the helmet and look for breathing. If the injured person does not breathe, carefully remove the helmet. Here it is best if two people work together. One holds under the neck to stabilize the head, while the other opens the chin strap and removes the helmet. Encouraging people to drive carefully Rehn’s opinion is that people are very good at contributing when traffic accidents occur. He believes the competence and willingness to contribute at an accident site is high in Norway. – I think we should continue with that, so that we can all have the safest possible summer. Rehn encourages everyone to download the “Help 113” app. It can be a good aid if you should come across an accident site. Help 113 collects all numbers for the emergency services, shows coordinates, provides access to a mobile camera, shows defibrillators and the nearest emergency room. Photo: Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation In the aftermath of the fatal accident in Hallingdal, Bjørn and Therese have spent time working on what happened together. Bjørn has bought some equipment that he should have easily accessible in the car door, in case he should come across a new accident. – So I can more easily help if needed. Recently, he posted a longer post on Facebook where he encouraged loved ones to drive carefully this summer. – I stand by that to the highest degree, says Bjørn.
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