It is imperative to avoid unnecessarily moving a traffic accident victim. However, in some situations, it is necessary to move them out of danger. This means an emergency repositioning must be conducted.
An emergency repositioning involves pulling a victim at immediate risk by their clothes along the ground to a safe location before beginning other lifesaving measures.
The emergency repositioning must only be performed in a situation where it is necessary to save the life of the victim.
A victim who needs resuscitation should be repositioned onto as hard ground as possible.
Consider an emergency repositioning if:
- The accident vehicle is smoking or on fire
- The victim is in a dangerous location, such as in the path of oncoming vehicles or in the danger of suffocation or drowning
- The victim is not breathing or cannot breathe normally even with an open airway