Helping a victim who shows no signs of life

The brain is the most important thing to take care of. It is breath, as it was established during betrieblicher ersthelfer ausbildung. If the casualty does not breathe when the ambulance arrives, he/she will not come out alive. So get to work – take care of the victims. Let’s analyze the situation when a driver hit a woman.

Fight for the brain

You are a witness to this event – you watched it while standing at the traffic lights, in the front line of cars. The injured person is lying face down. What have you already established? First, safety is a priority. Knowing this, you have already set your car in such a way as to cover the injured (how you were taught in betriebliche ersthelfer inhouse-kurs) from other vehicles. You turned on the hazard lights and the hand brake, put on the vest, took the phone, got out, and locked your car. Then you agreed with another witness that he/she would set up a triangle and that he/she would keep an eye on safety. You approach the scene and quickly find out that there are no other victims. 

You put on gloves and check the consciousness of a lying woman. Say out loud that you want to help and squeeze your arm, but there’s no reaction – she’s unconscious

and shows no sign of life. Turn the injured person on their back to be able to quickly tilt her head back. Place one hand on her forehead, the other on her chin, and boldly push her head back. Check her breathing by doing three things simultaneously: 

  • observe her chest movements; 
  • listen; 
  • feel the movement of the air against your cheek and ear.

Ersthelfer in betrieben takes 10 seconds to evaluate the breathing. If you did not feel it, immediately start compressing the chest. At this point, the witness of the incident indicated by you should immediately call the emergency services.