Ride Prepared: Emergency First Aid for Moto Campers

CREDIT: Dave Dunford

CREDIT: Ely Woody

Motorcycle accidents often result in a few specific injury patterns:

1. Blunt Force Trauma: Impacts with vehicles, objects, or the road can cause internal injuries, fractures, and head or spinal trauma.
2. Abrasions: Sliding on pavement can cause extensive skin damage, which can be deep, contaminated, and prone to infection. This is better known as “road rash.” We’ve all heard the horror stories.
3. Limb Injuries: Severe trauma and bleeding are common in limbs due to the forces involved and lack of protection around extremities.

Being prepared to address these specific issues, often under stressful conditions and potentially far from immediate help, is paramount. Get CPR certified!

Building Your Motorcycle First Aid Kit

A standard car first aid kit or ultralight medical kit is a good start, but a good motorcyclist’s kit needs additions focused on trauma care. It should be packed securely and be accessible on your bike—under the seat, in a tank bag, or pannier—and ideally waterproof. A CFR (compact first responder) kit is a good benchmark.

Essential Basics:

1. Gloves (nitrile): Protects you and the casualty from contamination and bodily fluids. Have several pairs, as they can tear.

2. Trauma shears: Heavy-duty scissors designed to cut through clothing, leather, or helmet straps without sharp points near the skin. Essential for accessing injuries.

3. Antiseptic wipes: For cleaning around wounds or cleaning your hands if water isn't available.

4. Sterile gauze pads: For covering wounds and applying pressure. Include large pads (e.g., 4x4, 5x9).

5. Roller gauze/conforming bandages: To hold dressings in place or support limbs.

6. Medical tape: To secure dressings and bandages.

7. Adhesive bandages: For minor cuts and scrapes.

8. Saline solution: For irrigating wounds or flushing debris from eyes.

9. Tweezers: For removing small splinters or debris.

CREDIT: Rescue Essentials 

Trauma-Focused Additions:

10. Compression bandages (e.g., Israeli Bandage): Highly effective for controlling moderate to severe bleeding. Combines a sterile pad, elastic bandage, and a pressure bar in one unit.

11. Tourniquet: For life-threatening extremity hemorrhage only. Requires proper training to use correctly. Improvised tourniquets often fail or cause further damage. Include a permanent marker to write the application time on the tourniquet or casualty's forehead.

12. Hemostatic gauze (e.g., QuikClot, Celox): Gauze impregnated with agents that promote rapid blood clotting. Useful for severe bleeding where pressure alone is insufficient. Training is recommended.

13. Vented chest seals: For treating penetrating chest injuries (sucking chest wounds). Allows air to escape but not enter the chest cavity. Requires specific training.

14. Emergency blanket: Lightweight and compact, crucial for preventing hypothermia, a common complication in trauma patients (shock).

15. Sam splint (rolled / folded): A flexible, moldable splint useful for immobilizing suspected fractures or sprains.

Personal/Convenience Items:

16. Pain relievers (Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen): For conscious patients with moderate pain. Ensure they can swallow and have no contraindications).

17. Antihistamines: For allergic reactions.

18. Personal medications: Any specific needs (e.g., EpiPen, glucose).

19. Small flashlight or headlamp: Essential for visibility at night.

20. CPR face shield or pocket mask: Barrier device for rescue breathing.

Your Action Plan at an Accident Scene: DR. SABC

If you are the first person on the scene of a motorcycle accident, remaining calm and following a structured approach is vital. There are a literal horde of acronyms they give you as an EMT to remember what to do with a patient, including PENMAN (scene safety), OPQRST (pain assessment) DCAP-BTLS (trauma assessment), and SAMPLE (patient history). 

Crazy, right?

Well, I’m going to use another one, DR. SABC, because it’s more applicable to the layman, and includes a bit of everything. Each letter, in order, stands for a step in the process when you arrive at an accident. 

D: Danger Assessment

Your Safety First: Before rushing in, assess the scene for hazards. Is there oncoming traffic? Leaking fuel? Fire risk? Unstable vehicles? Downed power lines?

Make the Scene Safe: If possible and safe to do so, use your motorcycle (hazards flashing), warning triangles (if available), or other bystanders to warn approaching traffic. Turn off the ignition of any crashed vehicles—bikes or cars—if possible.

Personal Protection: Put on your nitrile gloves immediately.

R: Response

Check for Consciousness: Approach the casualty. Kneel beside them. Gently tap their shoulders and shout, "Hello! Can you hear me? Open your eyes!" The idea is to see if they’re conscious, and if so, to what level. To do this, we have a scale (yes, another acronym).

Assess Level of Response (AVPU Scale): While not really important for non-medical professional, this can help determine the severity of the injury, and may guide subsequent actions. When EMS personnel arrive on the scene, you can relay your AVPU impressions to them 

1. Alert: Are they awake, eyes open, responding normally?
2. Voice: Do they respond in some way when you talk to them (groan, speak)?
3. Pain: Do they respond only to a painful stimulus (e.g., a gentle pinch on the collarbone)?
4. Unresponsive: Do they show no response at all?

CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons

S: Send for Help

Call Emergency Services Immediately: Dial 911 and provide:

1. Precise Location: Use mile markers, landmarks, GPS coordinates. State the road name, direction of travel, and nearest town/exit. Accuracy is crucial.
2. Nature of Incident: “Motorcycle accident,” but be more specific than this if possible.
3. Number of Casualties: How many people are injured?
4. Type of Injuries: Conscious/unconscious, breathing/not breathing, severe bleeding, trapped?
5. Any Hazards: Traffic issues, fuel spill, fire.

Delegate: If other people are present, clearly instruct someone specific to make the call and report back to you. Don't assume someone else has called.

Stay on the Line: Follow the dispatcher's instructions. They may provide pre-arrival guidance.

NOTE: Helmet Removal

Okay, we’ve covered three letters (DR. S) and have three left (ABC). But I’m going to jump into the middle of our DR. SABC real quick and talk about motorcycle helmets, because it can be dangerous to remove them after an accident. General Rule: If the casualty is conscious, breathing normally, and the helmet isn't obstructing the airway, LEAVE THEIR HELMET ON. Removing a helmet improperly can worsen a potential spinal injury.

When to Remove: Only remove a motorcycle helmet if:

• It's obstructing the airway, and you cannot clear it with the helmet on.
• The casualty is unconscious and not breathing, and you need to perform CPR.
• The casualty is vomiting into the helmet.

How to Remove (Ideally Need Two People): One person maintains constant manual in-line stabilization of the head and neck from above. The second person undoes the strap, gently spreads the helmet sides, and carefully slides it off, following the curve of the head, ensuring minimal neck movement.

If alone and removal is essential, it's extremely difficult and risky—prioritize airway/breathing management as best as possible. If you can open the visor and manage the airway, that's preferable

A: Airway

If the subject’s airway is obstructed, then they can’t breathe. If they can’t breathe, they’re in trouble. Ensuring their airway is clear and functional is your first priority.

Is the Airway Open and Clear? If the person is talking or crying, their airway is clear. Move to the next letter (B-Breathing).

If Unconscious: The tongue can obstruct the airway. Carefully open the airway using the head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver (place one hand on the forehead, two fingers under the chin, gently tilt the head back and lift the chin).

CAUTION: If you suspect a spinal injury, use the jaw thrust maneuver instead (kneel behind the head, place fingers behind the angle of the jaw, and lift the jaw upwards).

Check for Obstructions: Look inside the mouth for blood, vomit, or foreign objects. If visible and reachable, carefully clear it using a finger (ideally with gauze wrapped around your fingers).

B: Breathing

Check for Normal Breathing: With the airway open, look, listen, and feel for breathing for no more than 10 seconds.

1. Look: For chest rise and fall.
2. Listen: Place your ear near their mouth/nose for breath sounds.
3. Feel: For air on your cheek.

CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons

If Breathing Normally: Place the casualty in the recovery position (look up a photo), one arm supporting the head, with one leg out to the side, unless you strongly suspect a spinal injury. This helps maintain an open airway and prevents aspiration if they vomit. Monitor breathing continuously.

If Not Breathing (or Only Infrequent, Irregular Gasps): Start CPR immediately. You should be trained to perform CPR, and the courses are cheap and simple. The basics are to push hard and fast in the center of the chest (30 compressions, rate of 100-120 per minute, depth of 2-2.4 inches for adults). Good CPR often cracks ribs.

Follow this with 2 rescue breaths if trained and willing (using a barrier device). If not trained in rescue breaths, perform compression-only CPR until help arrives or the person starts breathing.

C: Circulation / Catastrophic Bleeding

Address Life-Threatening Bleeding Immediately: While checking breathing, or immediately after confirming no breathing but before starting CPR, quickly scan the body for severe, spurting or pooling blood. This takes precedence over many other injuries. Performing CPR is useless if blood is pumping out of the patient’s body.

Control Bleeding:

1. Direct Pressure: Apply firm, direct pressure to the wound using sterile gauze or the cleanest cloth available (even your gloved hand). Maintain pressure continuously.
2. Elevation: If the wound is on a limb and there's no suspected fracture, elevate it above the heart level while maintaining pressure.
3. Pressure Bandage: Apply a compression bandage tightly over the initial dressing.
4. Tourniquet (limb only): If direct pressure and elevation fail to control life-threatening bleeding from a limb, apply a tourniquet if you are trained. Place it 2-3 inches above the wound (not on a joint). Tighten until bleeding stops. Note the time of application clearly. This is a last resort.

Treat for Shock: Trauma patients are highly susceptible to shock (circulatory collapse). Even if bleeding seems controlled, assume shock is present or developing.

1. Keep the casualty warm: Use the emergency blanket, jackets, etc. Protect them from the ground.
2. Reassure them: Talk calmly and confidently.
3. Position: Lay them flat if possible. If injuries allow and they are conscious, you might slightly elevate the legs, but do not do this if you suspect pelvic, abdominal, spinal, or head injuries.
4. Do NOT give them food or drink.

Do's and Don'ts of Moto Emergency Medicine

• DO prioritize safety.
• DO wear gloves.
• DO call 911 early and provide accurate information.
• DO control catastrophic bleeding aggressively and quickly.
• DO maintain an open airway.
• DO support the head and neck if a spinal injury is suspected
• DO keep the casualty warm to prevent shock/hypothermia.
• DO reassure the casualty if they are conscious.
• DO get proper first aid training, ideally motorcycle-specific.
• DON'T put yourself in danger. You can't help if you become a casualty.
• DON'T assume someone else has called for help – confirm it.
• DON'T move a casualty unnecessarily, especially if you suspect head, neck, or back injuries.
• DON'T remove a helmet unless absolutely necessary for airway/breathing management.
• DON'T give an unconscious person anything by mouth.
• DON'T attempt to apply a tourniquet unless it's a life-threatening limb bleed that is unresponsive to direct pressure (and you’re trained)
• DON'T exceed your level of training or comfort. Providing basic care within your abilities is better than attempting complex procedures and screwing up.

Legal Considerations (Good Samaritan Laws)

So what happens if you are trying to help someone and you do something wrong? Well, that’s not ideal, but in general, you shouldn’t stress as long as you’re acting in good faith.

All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have what are called “Good Samaritan” laws. These laws protect individuals who voluntarily provide emergency assistance in good faith at the scene of an accident from liability, provided they act reasonably and do not engage in willful misconduct or gross negligence. 

The key is to act as a reasonable person with your level of training would, and not to make the situation worse intentionally or recklessly. Knowing basic first aid and acting within those boundaries is generally covered.

CREDIT: CPR Select

Conclusion: The Importance of Training

As I said before, reading an article that some random dude wrote on Moto Camp Nerd’s blog is a good start (and I promise I really did pass my EMT exam). 

But it does not replace hands-on training.

Consider enrolling in additional training, like Standard First Aid/CPR/AED Courses from the American Red Cross or American Heart Association, Stop the Bleed Courses, or motorcycle-specific first aid courses.

Being a prepared motorcyclist extends beyond maintaining your bike and wearing protective gear. It includes having the knowledge and confidence to act effectively in an emergency. Carrying a well-stocked, trauma-focused first aid kit and understanding the fundamental steps of accident scene management and basic life support will empower you to make a critical difference in the crucial moments after a crash.

 

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