Cyclist Hit, What To Do?

On my way back to the office today I saw a cyclist who had recently been hit by a vehicle. He was on the ground, on his back, rolling back and forth, clearly in a great deal of pain. His bike was a mangled mess from the seat tube back. Several cars had stopped already, I saw a person on a cell phone. I desperately wanted to stop and help. But, not having medical training and seeing other cars that had stopped, I continued on. As I drove, I frantically searched my car for anything- a blanket, something soft for his head, any excuse to go back and do something...anything. Back at work, I located the 24hr news alert email address of a television station and sent a message about the incident.

Now I find myself with an awful feeling. I've been run over by a truck before, so I empathize with the pain he must feel. As someone who rides the same road where this took place, I feel a bit sick.

So, what would/should/have you do/done in a situation like this?

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Permalink Reply by S on October 13, 2009 at 7:23am

If the authorities (cops, ambulance) had already been called and you weren't a witness, I don't think there's much you could have done. Stopping your car and standing around may have made things marginally worse by being another bystander in the way when the paramedics got there. I guess you could have given the cyclist some info on the ata's what to do in a crash page or something like that but he probably wouldn't have been able to remember.

Permalink Reply by igz on October 13, 2009 at 7:32am
agreed with note above. though some of our heroic instincts dictate to act in some way, its best to stay back if you cannot offer immediate medical aid. if not trained, you can make matters worse. cars already stopped, people making calls, its a good indication that someone has contact the proper authorities. maybe the only thing you could do is ask and make sure that someone DID call already. and also like previously stated, if you are not a witness, you are in the way, kinda like people start slowing down at an accident on the highway, rubbernecking, and causing the actual traffic. you probably did everything you should have...which is nothing. i know it sounds wierd, but true. if you were not in a car, it would be nice to support the fellow cyclist in any non-medical way...ie taking notes, names, etc.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on October 13, 2009 at 8:08am
Ditto

S said:

If the authorities (cops, ambulance) had already been called and you weren't a witness, I don't think there's much you could have done. Stopping your car and standing around may have made things marginally worse by being another bystander in the way when the paramedics got there. I guess you could have given the cyclist some info on the ata's what to do in a crash page or something like that but he probably wouldn't have been able to remember.

Permalink Reply by Anne on October 13, 2009 at 9:14am
double ditto, however, perhaps consider getting certified for CPR/First AID? If we all did this, we could all be better prepared before an incident, and if you are ever on the scene and CPR is needed, then you will feel and be useful.

notoriousDUG said:
Ditto

S said:

If the authorities (cops, ambulance) had already been called and you weren't a witness, I don't think there's much you could have done. Stopping your car and standing around may have made things marginally worse by being another bystander in the way when the paramedics got there. I guess you could have given the cyclist some info on the ata's what to do in a crash page or something like that but he probably wouldn't have been able to remember.

Permalink Reply by Jakob on October 13, 2009 at 1:27pm
Thanks for the replies. It is somewhat comforting to know the same perspective is had by others. I didn't want to be in the way or contribute to an already stressfull and dire situation. It sucks that there isn't anything one in my position could have done. Anne- I had a CPR cert but this may be reason enough to get it renewed as well as a first AID cert. It is hard to deal with the image of someone rolling around in pain and being helpless to their needs. This guy being a cyclist on a road I've traveled many times just haunts the hell out of me.
Permalink Reply by yaj 7.4 on October 14, 2009 at 9:55am
I think one thing we can do for a downed cyclist is take care of their bike. All the other folks on the scene might not think of it, but as cyclists, we know how important our bikes are to us. If that rider went away in an ambulance, what happened to their bike?
That's what I did over the summer when I found a rider down. While we were waiting for the ambulance I took his key, carried his bike to the side of the road and locked it up. I wrote him a note re: where his bike was locked & put the note & his keys back in his bag. He's was pretty out of it the whole time & it was all taken care of before the ambulance took him away.
iggi makes a good point too. I wasn't in a car, so I wasn't adding to a gaperblock while I was doing this.
Permalink Reply by Jakob on October 14, 2009 at 11:38am
The bike was twisted up, a total waste. But you're right... if it were me, I'd still want it back. It would become a conversation piece, at the least. Kinda like a battle wound.

I took a 3 hour First Aid class at the Red Cross this morning. There were many good lessons on bleeding, fractures, abrasions, burns, illnesses like diabetes and conditions like heat stroke. But, come to find out, just calming someone down by talking can help a great deal. From there you can help if it's within you range of knowledge or just assist the injured in being still while someone who really knows what they are doing arrives. I pulled a lot from it and feel more confident in being able to contribute something should I ever come upon a situation like this again.
Permalink Reply by Anne on October 14, 2009 at 11:42am
that's great! and, you're story made me think that I too must get re-certified on CPR.

Jakob said:
The bike was twisted up, a total waste. But you're right... if it were me, I'd still want it back. It would become a conversation piece, at the least. Kinda like a battle wound.

I took a 3 hour First Aid class at the Red Cross this morning. There were many good lessons on bleeding, fractures, abrasions, burns, illnesses like diabetes and conditions like heat stroke. But, come to find out, just calming someone down by talking can help a great deal. From there you can help if it's within you range of knowledge or just assist the injured in being still while someone who really knows what they are doing arrives. I pulled a lot from it and feel more confident in being able to contribute something should I ever come upon a situation like this again.
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on October 14, 2009 at 11:54am
Start by asking for witnesses and get their information as well as the drivers (if you can talk to the cyclist get his or her info too and email later, if not ask the paramedics to take the info). Ask the police/paramedics what they will be doing with the bike and offer to assist.

I learned come of this stuff from Lawyer Jim, he had a bunch of great tips at a Chicago Cycling Club meeting. Check out his website and blog.
Permalink Reply by jonathan kabb on October 14, 2009 at 3:16pm
I completely agree. Even though my cert is outdated, its so easy to learn. Seriously, it's really really easy to learn cpr through red cross...in fact it might be too easy. the one thing they never taught me back in the day that only a WFR cert taught was after you find the scene to be safe, you can't just give the person a little shake when asking if they're alright. red cross never told us to be weary of spinal damage in which case if there is, you can not tilt the head back. Its def worth doing.

Anne said:
double ditto, however, perhaps consider getting certified for CPR/First AID? If we all did this, we could all be better prepared before an incident, and if you are ever on the scene and CPR is needed, then you will feel and be useful.

notoriousDUG said:
Ditto

S said:

If the authorities (cops, ambulance) had already been called and you weren't a witness, I don't think there's much you could have done. Stopping your car and standing around may have made things marginally worse by being another bystander in the way when the paramedics got there. I guess you could have given the cyclist some info on the ata's what to do in a crash page or something like that but he probably wouldn't have been able to remember.

Permalink Reply by marcus on October 23, 2009 at 1:27pm
Jakob,

Are you referring to the accident near Harrison and Ogden? If so, the survivor would appreciate being able to contact any witnesses.

Please send me a message via this website if you have any leads.
Permalink Reply by Jakob on October 23, 2009 at 1:36pm
I was not. But thanks for checking with me for the reasons you stated.

marcus said:
Jakob,

Are you referring to the accident near Harrison and Ogden? If so, the survivor would appreciate being able to contact any witnesses.

Please send me a message via this website if you have any leads.

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