How to Care for Open Wounds While Waiting for an Ambulance

Being involved in a serious car accident often leaves many individuals dazed, traumatized, and often with deep cuts or gashes on various parts of the body. While help may be available immediately for some victims, others may be forced to wait for a period of time until an ambulance arrives.

For the latter, taking quick and rational action to care for any open wounds can have positive effects on the severity of the problem, as well as on recovery in the future. If you receive deep cuts in a car accident, make sure to follow the guidelines below until an ambulance arrives.

Prevent Loss of Blood

If bleeding occurs, the first step should be to stop it immediately. Heavy blood loss can cause a patient to go into shock, leading to further complications.

In cases of heavy bleeding, make sure to apply pressure to the wound with your hands, and attempt to wrap it in a clean piece of cloth to keep pressure on the open wound, such as a shirt that has not been soiled.

Look for Signs of Internal Bleeding

Although external bleeding may be generally easy to recognize, internal bleeding may be much more difficult to discover.

Signs of internal bleeding may include:

• blood in a victim’s vomit or urine;
• breathlessness;
• chest or abdominal pain; and
• clammy or cold skin; and
• severe bruising.

Accident victims who suspect internal bleeding should lie down. Additionally, the individual should wrap him- or herself (or someone else should wrap the person) in extra clothes or a blanket to keep body temperature elevated until an ambulance arrives.

Course of Action for Less Severe Cuts and Scrapes

Of course, if you have been in a car accident, yet have escaped with nothing more than a few scrapes and cuts to your body, you may not need to worry about taking any drastic first aid measures. Still, a few basic first aid tips can be helpful.

First, if you have access to any first aid supplies, use a disinfectant to clean the wounded area. Doing so can help prevent a case of infection. With this, once the area is disinfected, cover it with a bandage or clean cloth to seal it off from any bacteria. Although medical personnel can attend to it professionally once they arrive, taking these small steps in the beginning may prove helpful.

Call an Accident Attorney

The most important thing after being in a car accident is making sure that you are safe and healthy. But once you are able, call the Law Offices of D.J. Banovitz if another party is to blame for your car accident. We handle car accident claims in Arvada, as well as the surrounding areas, and can help you file a claim to recover damages for you injuries. Call today at 303-300-5060 or fill out our contact form.