Srinagar, Jun 16 (KNO): The Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, has issued a detailed public advisory aimed at equipping citizens with lifesaving knowledge to effectively manage road traffic accident emergencies, saying the first few minutes following a serious accident are often decisive in determining survival, recovery, or permanent disability.
Medical experts said that timely intervention during the "Golden Hour" - the first 60 minutes after a severe injury - can improve survival rates and reduce long-term complications.
The advisory, accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), states that the foremost priority at any accident scene is ensuring personal safety before attempting a rescue. Citizens have been advised to park vehicles safely away from moving traffic, switch on hazard lights, wear reflective jackets where available, place warning triangles, and assess potential dangers such as fuel leaks, fire hazards, falling rocks, live electrical wires, or unstable vehicles before approaching victims.
The department strongly warned against rushing into unsafe situations, noting that rescuers becoming casualties themselves can further complicate emergency response.
The advisory urges bystanders to immediately contact emergency services by dialling 112 or 108, providing precise information including the accident location, nearby landmarks, number of injured persons, severity of injuries, and whether any victims are trapped inside vehicles.
Medical experts have advised the public to follow the internationally recognised DRABC approach: Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, and Circulation (severe bleeding control).
A major focus is the management of potential spinal injuries. Experts urged citizens to assume a spinal injury in every major road traffic accident, especially in cases involving high-speed collisions, ejection from vehicles, falls, unconsciousness, neck pain, or limb weakness. Rescuers should support the victim's head and neck, advise them not to move, and avoid pulling, twisting, sitting up, or shaking injured persons. Improper handling of spinal injuries can lead to permanent paralysis or even death.
The department cautioned against removing victims from vehicles unless there is immediate life-threatening danger, such as fire, fuel leakage, or risk of plunging into a river or gorge, advising that trained rescue personnel should carry out extraction procedures. For unconscious victims still breathing, experts recommend the recovery position only if spinal injury is unlikely.
In case of severe bleeding, citizens are advised to apply direct pressure with a clean cloth, elevate the injured limb if possible, and never remove deeply embedded objects, as doing so can worsen bleeding. Fractures should be immobilised using makeshift supports, while attempts to straighten broken bones should be avoided. The advisory strictly advises against giving accident victims water, tea, food, alcohol, or medicines, as injured individuals may require emergency surgery or could choke due to impaired consciousness.
The advisory reassures citizens that India's Good Samaritan protections shield individuals who assist accident victims from unnecessary legal harassment, and hospitals are legally obligated to provide emergency medical care irrespective of a victim's ability to pay.
Summing up the lifesaving message, the department encouraged the public to remember the acronym SAVE—Secure the scene, Alert emergency services, Verify breathing and bleeding, and Evacuate safely when necessary. "Your timely action during the first few minutes after a road traffic accident can save a life, prevent disability, and give someone a second chance at living," the advisory states—(KNO)