Question

You are approaching a conscious victim of a motor vehicle accident who is still sitting in the car. You notice that the air bag never deployed and the steering wheel is bent. What is your first concern?

1) The patient may have chest injuries of which he is not aware.
2) The air bag may still deploy, injuring you or the patient.
3) The patient may have a head injury.
4) You should immediately fit a cervical collar.

Answer 1

The priority when approaching a victim in a car accident with a non-deployed airbag and a bent steering wheel is the potential deployment of the airbag, which can pose an immediate risk.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you are approaching a conscious victim of a motor vehicle accident who is still sitting in the car with a bent steering wheel and a non-deployed airbag, your first concern should be that the airbag may still deploy, injuring you or the patient. While chest injuries or a head injury may indeed be concerning, the immediate and unpredictable potential deployment of the airbag poses an urgent risk to both the patient and responder.

It is important to cautiously stabilize the situation by ensuring that there is no further power to the airbag system to prevent accidental deployment. Only after addressing this immediate concern should a responder proceed to assess and manage potential injuries, including the possibility of fitting a cervical collar if spinal injury is suspected.