There is an hour difference between life and death after a traffic accident with victims. This was already attested in the 60s by the American doctor Adam Cowley, who coined the term golden hour. And this is the time for a person with serious injuries, if properly treated by the emergency services and transferred to the health center, to have a potentially higher probability of survival.
First aid is essential to prevent victims in traffic accidents from suffering irreparable injuries. 3 out of every 4 fatalities die in the first hour after impact and up to 15% do so in the following hours. Of these, 35% could be avoided thanks to prompt intervention by emergency services, according to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). Only 1 in 10 deaths die suddenly.
Driving schools already teach the basic principle that we must follow in the event of a traffic accident, the PAS: Protect, Alert and Help. In this order, the first thing we must do if we witness an accident is to mark the scene of the accident to protect the victims. Adequate signage is a guarantee for drivers to recognize the situation and thus avoid further damage or secondary incidents.
Once the area is protected and marked, you must contact the emergency services. You must call 112 and indicate the exact location of the event, describe what happened and report the number of victims and injuries suffered. It is very important for emergency services to know if accident victims are breathing, conscious, bleeding, or trapped in the vehicle. Likewise, it is essential that we follow the instructions of 112 while help arrives, not move the victims if they are not in danger and provide a contact number in case the call is missed.
Within the golden hour, emergency services will rush to the scene of the accident as quickly as possible to identify injuries and trauma that could put the victims' lives at risk. Once this first assistance has been carried out, they will prepare and transport the victims in an ambulance with basic life support to the nearest medical center in the shortest time possible.
As you can see, as Dr. Cowley assured, early attention to victims of traffic accidents is crucial to tipping the balance for life. A few decisive minutes in which, as road users, we can quickly apply the PAS to try to mitigate personal injuries.
