Coming across an accident with a pt in back

[Markhk]

I was curious: What are your company's policies on the need to stop at the scene of an accident you come across (i.e. you did not cause it), while you have a patient in the back during a code 2 or code 3 patient?

Are you required to:
- Pull over and call dispatch (or 9-1-1), report the accident and then get released
- Remain on scene until first responders arrive
- Get out of your rig (even though you have a patient in the back, which risks abandonment) and actually see if people need medical attention

Or none of the above? (I.e. call it in, keep moving)

 

[JPINFV]

If you're transporting code 3, I see no reason to stop, ever. Your primary concern is the patient you already have.

Now, where I worked there was no written protocol regarding when to stop. EMS/fire is almost always less than 10 minutes out, normally shorter. In addition, depending on where the accident is, I can just about bet that there will be numerous ambulances stopping anyways (Southern California has quite a few ambulance services).

Personally, I would not stop with a patient in back, regardless of the condition of the patient. You most likely wouldn't be transporting to begin with. Besides that, there have been cases (for example, a pair of EMT-Bs and their patient had to flee an accident scene after being shot at) where ambulance crews have gotten in some serious trouble for stopping.

 

[Chimpie]

I would agree that you keep going. Radio it in, let them know what you saw, but you keep going. Remember, once you make patient contact that patient is yours until they sign AMA or you are relieved by some with equal or higher certification. That goes for the people on the streets and your patient in the back.

You have patient in the back. You've committed yourself to transporting them. You continue to do some until the job has been completed.

 

[firecoins]

If your patinet is critical, keep going. If they aren't, the EMT stays in the back while the driver help with the MVA. The EMT should never leave a patient alone.

 

[Ridryder911]

You have a duty to respond and treat the intial caller, a second unit should be dispatched for secondary response. If something occurs while stopped, or delayed, one could be held responsible for not tranpsorting in a timely manner.

R/r 911

 

[enjoynz]

In New Zealand we have to stop if we are involved in an accident with the ambulance. And we have to check for any injuries to whomever has been involved and wait for back up (even I think, if we had a pt on board).
We don't have the abandonment law that you have, re leaving someone in the back on their own, that is of course depending on their condition ( We still one one crew in this country in rural areas (The ambulance service is trying to get funding, so this will change in the coming years).
If the pt is a Stat 3 or 4, and in no danger if being left for a short time, that's what would happen, I'm sure.
We would radio to tell coms (control) of the incident and pt's involved and triage. So they can roll out what services are needed for it.
I may be completely wrong with my answer to this, as I've never asked anyone the question in management, but I don't think so.
It comes down to code of ethics and sanctity of life. Do you leave someone bleeding to death on the side of the road with the next ambulance 20 minutes away (when you have a spare stretcher),:unsure: because you have a pt in the back with mild abdo pain?????? I know what my answer would be to that question!

Cheers Enjoynz

 

[SC Bird]

For arguments sake, if you come across or witness a bad MVC while transporting a BLS stable pt. call....what would you do??

Say you had a pt with an assumed fx of the radius or ulna. PMS are present and normal, everything is stable. Then you witness a rollover with pt ejected.

Me personally...I would have a hard time not stopping. Of course, I would either stay with my pt. in the back if I was riding the call and let my partner call for backup and assess the scene or vice versa.


What about you??

-Matt

 

[bstone]

I was working at the children's hospital one night on the N/PICU bus and while en route l/s to a hospital in the sticks we came across a car flipped in the middle of the highway.

We kept on going. The baby at the hospital was unstable and we had an isolet in the back, so no way to t/p an adult patient.

 

[abckidsmom]

For arguments sake, if you come across or witness a bad MVC while transporting a BLS stable pt. call....what would you do??

Say you had a pt with an assumed fx of the radius or ulna. PMS are present and normal, everything is stable. Then you witness a rollover with pt ejected.

Me personally...I would have a hard time not stopping. Of course, I would either stay with my pt. in the back if I was riding the call and let my partner call for backup and assess the scene or vice versa.


What about you??

-Matt

The only time I've ever stopped at an MVC while transporting was when that MVC was completely blocking the road and we could not pass. It was in a snowstorm, relatively unusual around here, and our original patient had a nosebleed that he wasn't able to stop, and he wasn't able to drive himself to the hospital. We were the first ambulance on scene and there were 5 critical patients in the MVC. We took the sickest one into our ambulance, and waited, and waited and waited for the others to get there. We took two of the patients from the accident in the cab of our truck, waiting for the other ambulances.

The sickest patient had been ejected out of his vehicle through the windsheild of one of the others. He had bilateral open leg fractures. Our guy with the nosebleed said that it was just like back in the war...he sat back on the bench and tried to blend in.

As a rule, I wouldn't stop, but I would never say never.