A former paramedic has offered crucial advice for drivers involved in car crashes – and it’s especially important when children are in the vehicle.
Nikki Jurcutz, a co-founder of the baby first aid company Tiny Hearts Education with her sister Rachel, educates parents worldwide on handling emergency situations to safeguard themselves and their kids. On Instagram, Nikki draws on her past experience as a paramedic to advise parents on the correct actions to take if they’re in a car accident with their children present.
“Working as a paramedic, I would attend to car accidents all the time, and if you’re a parent you need to listen up,” she begins in her video. She then encouraged adults not to remove their kids from their car seats following an accident.
She continued: “If you are involved in a car accident with your little one, leave them in their car seat. Paramedics will arrive on scene, they’ll assess the speed that you were travelling, the direction of the collusion, and the potential injuries that your little one has sustained.
“They will then tell you if it is safe to move your child.” Nikki further clarifies that children may appear unharmed but some internal injuries that are common in car accidents can’t be easily detected, reports Surrey Live.
She adds: “A lot of people don’t realise this, but there’s actually three collisions that happen when you are involved in a car accident. The car hits the object or the other car, your body will actually move around and hit different parts of the car, causing damage.
“And the third impact is actually all of your organs moving around inside and hitting the wall of your body, including your brain hitting your skull. This can cause internal damage that might not be obvious from the outside.”
She went on to advise that it is acceptable for parents to move to the back seats to comfort their children following a crash, as long as they can do so safely. “If it’s safe to do so, hop in the back with your little one, keep them calm, keep them distracted and comfort them until paramedics arrive.”
She added a further point on safety, suggesting, “If for some reason it’s too dangerous to leave your child in the car seat, come and grab your shears and cut the strap of the car seat. Most car seats will need to be replaced after they’ve been involved in a car accident anyway.
“Remove your child, still keep them strapped in and put them in a safe spot. Keep them calm, distracted until the paramedics arrive.”