A medical expert, Dr Christopher Otabor has attributed the cause of major fatalities at the scene of road accidents to negligence and delay in the provision of immediate medical intervention for victims.
Dr Otabor explained that the time lag between an accident and the treatment of a victim determines the possibility of survival of such a person, noting that proper handling of victims at the scene of accidents and the provision of emergency care contributes to the survival rate of patients.
During a courtesy visit to his office by the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Isa Muta’a, Dr Otabor, who is the Medical Director at the Alliance Hospital, noted that treating patients without first demanding payment is in line with the goal of the decade of action against road traffic crashes.
He said, ”Sometimes you cannot help it, some unfortunate victims die on the spot but the reason for a lot of the deaths from road traffic accidents is neglect, not knowing what to do at the scene of the accident and delay in intervention.
”The FRSC can be efficient and get to the scene of an accident on time but if the hospitals are not willing to receive patients, the time lag between and the delay can lead to fatalities.
”That is why I tell my staff, any accident victim must be treated, with or without money and we do not joke with that. In the past, we have been involved in training road safety officers on basic life support and basic trauma life support. What you do at the scene of an accident, that intervention can save lives.
But some people, in trying to help, carry victims awkwardly and that could lead to spinal cord injury and the person dying on the spot, ordinary bleeding can kill a victim of an accident when his hands or legs are raised the wrong way. This is why more training is required”.
Dr Otabor also cautioned against distracted driving by drivers, warning that drivers have a 40% possibility of getting into a crash when distracted than when they are not distracted.
He warned, ”being distracted for a split second, using telephones while driving or being distracted by moving objects could lead to fatalities”
While noting that the government cannot do everything, especially as regards sensitisation on road safety issues, Otabor recommended community mobilisation to support the government in spreading the word.
He assured the road safety boss of his commitment to ensuring that more lives are saved, promising to train road safety officials on emergency response at accident scenes.
Meanwhile, the Sector Commander, Isah Muta’a said his visit is geared towards deepening cooperation to ensure that fatalities from road accidents are reduced by at least 50% in line with the federal government’s decade-of-action agenda.
“That agenda means a 5% reduction in road accident fatalities every year for the next ten years. This is why we are seeking collaboration to ensure we achieve this strategic goal.
”We do a lot of rescue activities and where do we take victims to? we take them to hospitals. We do a lot of collaborations with hospitals and my being here is deliberate and strategic.
”This courtesy visit is a responsibility because we reach out to stakeholders to support us. We are ready anytime to work on this that concerns traffic management. We are always ready.
Delay in treating accident victims, major cause of death – Dr Otabor
