How serious an accident would you stop for?
How serious an accident would you stop for?
Author
Discussion

vrsmxtb

Original Poster:

2,003 posts

179 months

Saturday 14th January 2012
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Say you're one of the first cars at the scene of an accident, or even witness one up ahead, how serious would it need to be to get you to stop and assist? And would you stop and assist, beyond calling it in on 999, bearing in mind how dangerous being on a live carriageway, especially dual carriageway+ is.

LHD

17,002 posts

210 months

Saturday 14th January 2012
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I stopped fairly recently on the A34 when a guy about 500yds ahead dropped his motorbike on a diesel spill.

Anything that could involve life endangerment and i'll stop.

wendyg

2,071 posts

266 months

Saturday 14th January 2012
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If I thought anyone was hurt I would offer my limited help

mph1977

12,467 posts

191 months

Saturday 14th January 2012
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you have to go by gut feeling with this


the 'ideal' answer is unless the road is blocked is to stop down stream of the accident and let other's become the 'crash barrier' before HATO / BiB / ISU / trumpton arrive

if the carriage way is blocked or all lanes are stopped a crash scene is relatively safe - certainly on a DC with all the lanes on the side of the accident stopped you've just rubbernecker's bouncing across the central reservation to worry about

mrs MPH and I have a fairly tolerance for stopping but that's because because of our jobs and voluntary work meaning we have scene management training and, casualty care etc, skill and have a reasonable amount of kit in the car (class 3 hi vis , boots/gloves/ kevlar helmet , first aid kit , tools / light rescue kit (tree saw , tow rope, webbing strap , light line , crowbar, fire extinguisher)

the initial actions regardless of whether you are a bystander/ 'informed bystander/ or 999 personnel regardless of colour ( including the traffic wombles)

- your safety
- get help ( mobile phone or orange roadside phone)
- scene safety - not only stopping traffic but Hazchem etc
only then are you going to think about casualty care and if there's more victims than rescuers it's triage time

P I Staker

3,308 posts

179 months

Saturday 14th January 2012
quotequote all
I would stop for anything where the car(s) involved are unable to move them self to the hard shoulder to put it simply (Not a rule but a guide).

Although only in a very serious situation would I walk on to the carriageway itself if it was still live.

Pints

18,449 posts

217 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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The most mundane (probably not the right word but it's late and I've a fair bit of rum in the system, so it'll have to do... now, where was I? Oh yes...) accident I've probably stopped for was a bloke on a motorbike being sideswiped and knocked off in slow-moving traffic.

Just stopped, made sure he was ok and offered myself as a witness if he needed one.

Always happy to stop if it looks that there might be an injury, no matter how small (keep high-viz vest in the car). After all, I'd hope someone would do the same for me.

Frances The Mute

1,816 posts

264 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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Depends on the situation. I'm a first aider so I do feel a bit obliged if it looks like someone may have come to harm.

I see/come across a lot of light knocks - mostly due to lack of attention - on the motorway network. I leave them to it.

There's only been one where I stopped when a lad in a modded and stripped Celica had caned it down a slip road before promptly losing grip (it was icy) biting the embankment past the hard shoulder and doing a neat barrel roll.
The silly sod had a steel cantilever tool box in the boot that proceeded to throw all his tools around the car giving him plenty of cuts and knocks to the head; in addition to the grief of being thrown around in the car to start with. He lost conciousness, then woke up and went into shock so he was lucky I was around.

Edited by Frances The Mute on Sunday 15th January 00:37

madmover

1,762 posts

207 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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Id always stop and help if anyone was hurt... Treat others how you wish to be trated comes to mind. When ive been involved in accidents in the past ive always had people stop and help which i cant thank enough for and i think it would only be fair to do the same..... Just think by running a bit late for your journey you could save someones life or help save someone a huge amount of stress if it wasnt serious but became a legal battle as no other party was present! I know how much i would hate it so I think its only fair i do my best to help others if i can!

solidlad84

176 posts

210 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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Having lost a young friend in a head on collision today i'd stop for anything that looked like there was at least a remote chance anyone could be injured more than superficially.

littlebasher

3,925 posts

194 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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Two of the recent accidents i've seen recently required me to stop

The first, as the driver was ejected onto the A1 a short distance in front of me, i was able to stop a couple of meters before finishing him off.

The second was due to an illegal immigrants headless carcass falling out from underneath a lorry in front of me on the A3.

Neither were pleasant scenes....

Dave Hedgehog

15,758 posts

227 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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i went to court recently as a witness on an accident i witnessed

Piepiepie

1,347 posts

177 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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I was pretty much first at a fatal a few weeks ago.

Was a bit of a nightmare tbh, so many fkwits just kept on driving around and trying to squeeze through.

Luckily i had a bib coat in the boot but assholes still had their own agenda and were trying to get through the area.

Cue a total abandonment and block of both lanes of traffic using my car. biggrin

B Huey

4,881 posts

222 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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Me and the O/H stopped to help at an accident a few years back. When the BiBs turned they assumed that we must have known the other people in the car and that we had been racing. rolleyes

We drove off and left them to it.


Palms

254 posts

174 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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I always try and help people and have stopped countless times to help people move their broken down car out of the way of traffic that 100's of cars just squeeze past :@
Often helped people bump start their car

The other day there was this old man around 70-80 and he had hit the curb and bust his tyre, i offered my help on changing the wheel for him as he was panicking a fair bit but he was the most ignorant person i have seen in a long time
I even asked him if he wanted me to call a member of his family for him but he was still being rude so i just mumbled a few swear words and was on my way

mph1977

12,467 posts

191 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
quotequote all
B Huey said:
Me and the O/H stopped to help at an accident a few years back. When the BiBs turned they assumed that we must have known the other people in the car and that we had been racing. rolleyes

We drove off and left them to it.
interesting turn of events , how comparable was your car, demeanaour and attires in comparison with the people who had crashed ..,, ?

B'stard Child

30,796 posts

269 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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Most recent one a few years ago involved a bulk tipper and a flat bed lorry on a A road and the resulting mess was not a pleasant sight.

Liquid Knight

15,754 posts

206 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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If you are a witness you are obligated to stop as you may be able to help the Police with any enquirey. If anyone is hurt or needs help I can not understand how anyone who calls themselves a "human being" can drive on.

http://youtu.be/UGcyxjqt2mk

oj121

1,548 posts

195 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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I stop for all of them but then again thats my job biggrin

B Huey

4,881 posts

222 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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mph1977 said:
B Huey said:
Me and the O/H stopped to help at an accident a few years back. When the BiBs turned they assumed that we must have known the other people in the car and that we had been racing. rolleyes

We drove off and left them to it.
interesting turn of events , how comparable was your car, demeanaour and attires in comparison with the people who had crashed ..,, ?
The police seemed to think that we must have known them or we wouldn't have stopped to help. And if we knew each other we were probably racing.

They were a group chavs in an MG Metro, and I had Fiat Bravo. We were the first on the scene after they rolled it.

Pints

18,449 posts

217 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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solidlad84 said:
Having lost a young friend in a head on collision today...
Sorry to hear it, chap. frown