In the case of accidents, the following general guidelines of first aid should be followed:

Keep the injured person in a resting position by putting his head at the level of his body, until you know that the injury is serious.

It is a defence action against fainting and helps preventing the condition which is called 'shock'. An untrained (without training) person normally wants that the patient wakes up or tries to help him in standing up. If the patient's face is red, you can lift the patient's head upwards. If he vomits, then you can move his head aside so that the choking should not happen, otherwise the rule is that he should lay down that his head remains flat position.

Look for bleeding, suffocation, wounds, burning wounds, broken bones and dislocated joints. Make sure that you've discovered all of his injuries.

A pain is particular identity for any injury. When you are examining a wounded man, and then let him tell you about possible serious injuries. When you make examination of a wounded person, remove his clothes as much possible, so that it can be determined to what extent he has injured. If you can do this, tear the fabric by its seam. By removing the clothes by normal procedure can lead to unwanted pain and injury can also increase. If you see that the blood is coming from within the clothes or the blood is flowing out of a sleeve of the coat, then remove the clothes as much as possible so that the wound can be clearly examined.

In most cases, you can decide whether the patient is breathing, by examining the patient’s chest carefully for a few seconds. If breathing has been stopped (asphyxiation), as happen in drowning, or electric shock, artificial respiration is required immediately. Even when the patient becomes breathless after head injury, and he gets blue, the artificial respiration is given.

In that case, when many people have been hurt in the same accident, it is very important that the person giving primary treatment will be able to survey the entire situation quickly and take decision about those victims who have suffered serious injuries and need attention immediately.

Talk to the patient to find out whether he is conscious. If he is in the senses, he will usually be able to tell you where he has been hurt. Remember that if any patient is unconscious or half conscious after an accident, then the cause is often a head injury. Bleeding from one or both ears or bleeding from the nose, if there is no direct injury in these parts, it is generally identified that the skull has broken.

Examine the patient's pulse. But remember that the absence of pulse does not indicate that death has occurred. Look at the face color. From red or normal color, it implies that the pulse is strong and blood flow is good. The yellow face means that the pulse is weak and the blood supply is poor. The stimulants should not be given when there is serious bloodshed and it is suspected that internal bleeding is happen or there is head injury.

Keep the injured person warm--

Do not use excess heat in very high quantities but maintain normal body temperature. This is very important to prevent serious shock. If the weather is cold, it will be necessary to cover the patient from below and above.

Send someone to call a doctor or ambulance-

The person carrying the message will give these information: where is the injured person; The nature of the injury, the reason for injury and its possible extent and what items are available; What kind of first aid is being given? It is clear that all of these information are absolutely necessary, because from this the doctor will know exactly where the he has to go, what equipment he will need, and what measures have been already taken before he reach the spot.

Stay calm and do not hurry to take the injured person from one place to another, unless it is absolutely necessary to do so-

You should not move the patient until you will not get the correct estimation of the types and extent of his injuries and you have not given that first aid.

Never give water or any other fluid to any unconscious person-

The water can penetrate into the windpipe and kill the unconscious person by suffocating him. But if the injured person is conscious and if there are no signs of serious injury in the stomach, then give him water as much as he asks for, but gradually and only in sips. Whiskey and Brandy are not appropriate stimulants for first aid. They can do a lot of harm. Hot tea and hot coffee are suitable options, especially, at the time when the patient's hands and feet are cold.

Keep the crowd away from the injured people--

They often interrupt the treatment.

Give rest to the patient and, if possible, keep him happy.

Relieve his fear and keep him optimistic. It is important for him to have good mental health so that he can cooperate in treatment and help him getting better.

Do not let the patient see his injury-

In cases of serious injury, do not let the patient know that he has been badly hurt. Make sure that no such thing happens that will hurt him further. You can avoid crisis and disturbances if you keep informing patient's family members reasonably about the patient's condition. Tell them where the patient is located, whether he has been taken to a hospital, and also give them other similar information from whom they can get help. But it is not your job to tell them about the patient's injuries or give treatment details to family members.