A former paramedic has shared a crucially important mistake people should never make if they’re unlucky enough to find themselves in a car crash, and what to do instead
A former paramedic has shared a mistake drivers should avoid after a car crash, especially when kids are in the vehicle.
Nikki Jurcutz, who runs Tiny Hearts Education with her sister Rachel, is on a mission to teach parents worldwide how to handle emergencies and keep their families safe. Taking to Instagram, Nikki shared knowledge from her previous career and urged drivers to make sure the children in the car are as safe as possible by not making one error.
“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 said. “If you are involved in a car accident with your little one, leave them in their car seat,” she insisted.
While this may be counterintuitive, there is a very important reason why you should never remove your child from their car seat after a collision. “Paramedics will arrive on scene, they’ll assess the speed that you were travelling, the direction of the collision, and the potential injuries that your little one has sustained. They will then tell you if it is safe to move your child.”
Nikki explained that injuries in car accidents can often be internal and not immediately visible, highlighting the importance of professional assessment. “A lot of people don’t realise this, but there’s actually three collisions that happen when you are involved in a car accident,” she continued.
“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.”
However, she went on to explain that it’s fine for parents to join their kids in the backseat after an accident, provided it’s safe for them to do so. “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 also shared advice for times when her advice might not be practical and your child had to be taken out of their car seat. “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.”
