My kid was involved in a road or car accident. What now?

In the era of manifestation, it’s commonplace to think of both occurrences you may want to trigger and events you want to keep away. Given people’s rising awareness of the power of their thoughts, one may wrongfully assume that they’re manifesting something negative if they think of the possible repercussions of a heart-wrenching accident. While no one encourages you to obsess over what and how you’d help your child in the event of a car accident, it’s safe to say that there is some information you should learn soon so as not to be caught off guard if any tragedy occurs. 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from 2021 disclosed that an approximated 162,298 kids were hurt in road crashes in the U.S. that year. At the same time, Brake.org figures reveal that during the same year, 512 children of seven or fewer years were severely injured or killed on British roads.

We don’t want to sadden you with tormenting stats, but we want to increase everyone’s awareness and knowledge about how they should react in the event of such a hazard. If possible, keep reading to get an idea of what the first steps are to be taken in such a context, for such knowledge can make the difference between a helping and harming hand.

Photo source: Unsplash

Check your child’s reflexes 

While you should be cautious not to move or change your child’s position if there’s a risk of worsening their condition, it’s indispensable to check on their visual and auditive reflexes immediately after a car accident. Vociferate their name, ask them how they feel, have them follow your moving finger or motion, and so on. Obviously, you’ll do all these if you can move without leading to more damage.

Acknowledge that getting them neurologically assessed is the best way to tell (almost) for sure if any hard-to-see damage, injury, or harm should be treated professionally. Not every accident leads to visible harm or injuries. For instance, a simple pain in the abdomen could signal a rupture and be mistaken for a muscle kick and pain. It’s important to realize that kids can be equally impacted physically if they fall off a bike, for instance. There are numerous instances of kids getting knocked off their bicycles, justifying a good part of the compensation claims submitted for this type of accident across the country.

In both circumstances, your kid should be professionally assessed if there’s any concern that an underlying condition could transform into a full-blown health problem. All these things lead us to the next paramount paragraph.

Get them neurologically examined 

A neuro exam involves having your child’s nervous system professionally assessed in a healthcare provider’s office, where gear like reflex hammers and lights may be used to ensure your kid’s functions are unimpacted. Conversely, you may have to follow a strict schedule and treatment, getting your kid to kinetic, physiotherapy, orthopedy, and other types of medical specialists.

An A-to-Z assessment of your kid’s nervous system is paramount if there’s even the slightest worry that an underlying problem may exist. Prepare for all sorts of activities and exercises to be carried out in order for the medic to deliver an as accurate diagnostic as possible, such as sensory and motor skills assessment, coordination and balance, nerves’ functioning, and reflexes. A few factors determine how far the exam goes and how long it takes, such as your kid’s responses and the existence or lack of pain in affected areas. 

A neurological exam is generally done during a lot of stages, including if your kid reports blurry vision, headaches, fatigue, pain, and so on. Other signs your kid may have been traumatized by the event are rising temperature, behavioural change, slurred speech, tremors, coordination and balance changes, and other flags. It’s important to delimitate the body responses that follow as a normal and inoffensive consequence following the crash or auto impact, as many such delays in their daily behaviour and development are normal and shouldn’t take long. Nevertheless, some signs are best identified riding away, in the seconds or minutes following the crash’s conclusion, which takes us to one of the essential lessons a parent should appropriate – those learnt in primary care sessions. 

Join First Aid training courses

Taking on First Aid training classes is one of the most beneficial achievements that a parent can (and should) tick off their list, and preferably, this initiative should be kicked off sooner rather than later. If you can recall the anxiety that you first felt after your kid encountered their first chocking, hiccup, burp, sneeze, fever, and so on, wondering what would’ve happened if you weren’t there to save them or if your reflexes and techniques would’ve turned redundant, then you need no introduction. The more prepared you are to face a disaster, the lower the likelihood of the occurrence to be irreversibly damaging. 

In First Aid training sessions, you’ll learn numerous techniques and procedures to undertake if your kid ever incurs injuries or harm after a car accident. You’ll navigate numerous scenarios to recall the measures to take should any bad thing happen while you’re on the road. Similarly, you’ll learn what to do depending on the positions you may find yourself in, such as driving the car or standing near the wheel. 

These training sessions teach parents and caregivers lifesaving skills that, if not used, will help the trainees sleep soundly and rest assured knowing they have such a crisis under control. 

Remove dangerous elements

Vehicle kid seats and kid safety restraints may suffer damage following a car crash or road accident, some of which your naked eye may not spot. To make sure your kid doesn’t incur any more problems, it’s essential to carefully eliminate dangerous items and objects after the accident. Broken windows, sharp elements, and other things should be treated with caution. If the risk of worsening your kid’s situation exists, stop and think twice about the best move to make. Otherwise, impulses could lead to graver outcomes.  

Now, you can drive more confidently and hopefully prepared for the many daunting things that are possible on the road.