The Ashanti Regional Manager of the National Ambulance Service, Paemt Sommik Duut Miilon, is admonishing the public to exercise restraint and care when responding to accident victims.
He says the well-meaning gesture to respond swiftly and save victims of carnage could sometimes rather cause more harm than good.
“When it comes to priorities, we look at Road Traffic Accidents (RTA). We prioritize accidents because at the point in time, those people need immediate attention. Sometimes people end up dying, not because of the injuries that occur to them but because of the way they are handled, by bystanders and all,” he said.
Speaking on Luv FM, Mr. Miilon observed that attempts by the public to help crash victims before emergency personnel arrive could worsen injuries and cause fatal consequences.
“In Ghana, we always want to help. Immediately when accidents happen, people try to step in. But some people are better left just the way they are for professionals to get there, because when you have someone who’s trapped in a car, and you pull the person out, if the person can survive probably like 30 to 45 minutes, immediately you pull them out, they may end up having just like 5 minutes,” he said.
He offered life-saving tips for people who find themselves at accident scenes and insist on helping, urging the public to avoid certain critical mistakes.
“What mostly kills is bleeding. Either internal or external, so if it is either the hands or the legs that is affected, and the person is bleeding profusely and not trapped, you can get any cloth and put it on it.
“If it is an amputation, you’ll get a rope that can tie the amputation to restrict the blood from coming out. When something is stuck in somebody, please don’t remove it. When someone is stuck in a car, you don’t pull the person out, you wait for the fire service to get there and move the person safely,” he stated.
He further cautioned the public to desist from prank calls and rather use emergency lines responsibly to ensure immediate emergency response to save lives.
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