The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says its standard crash-response procedure prioritises saving lives, with critically injured victims evacuated ahead of less seriously injured casualties and deceased victims.
The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Mr Osondu Ohaeri, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Abuja.
Ohaeri was responding to question on the poor handling of accident victims and corpses by the FRSC.
He explained that FRSC personnel were trained to first secure crash scenes, control traffic, assess casualties according to the severity of their injuries and administer first aid where necessary.
He also said that victims in critical condition were given priority and evacuated without delay to the nearest appropriate hospital or health facility first.
According to him, the corps rescue procedures require critical victims to be moved first, while those with less serious injuries receive appropriate first aid pending evacuation.
He added that the FRSC operated an Emergency Ambulance Service Scheme (EASS), popularly known as Zebra, as well as roadside clinics to facilitate emergency response to crashes.
He further said that members of the public could report crashes and request emergency assistance through the corps toll-free 122 emergency line.
On how officers determine whether a crash victim was alive, critically injured or dead, the FRSC public education officer said personnel were trained to conduct an initial casualty assessment.
According to him, the assessment include checking a victim’s responsiveness, airway and breathing, as well as identifying the severity of injuries.
He explained that the immediate objective was to identify victims requiring urgent life-saving intervention and ensuring that they received appropriate assistance.
He emphasised that FRSC personnel do not arbitrarily pronounce victims dead at crash scenes.
“Where there is uncertainty about a person’s condition, the appropriate approach is to treat the person as requiring emergency medical attention and evacuate accordingly.
“The corps’ position is clear; a person who may still be alive must receive emergency attention and must not be left at the crash scene merely because the person appears unresponsive,” he said.
He added that the definitive determination of death, particularly in doubtful cases, should involve qualified medical personnel.
Speaking on the handling of corpses recovered from crash scenes, the CPEO said FRSC personnel were expected to treat deceased victims with respect and dignity, while paying due attention to identification and investigation.
He said rescue personnel were expected to first concentrate on saving people who were alive, adding that the corps rescue procedure provided that dead bodies should be moved after living casualties requiring urgent attention had been attended to.
According to him, the identity and personal effects of victims are documented as much as possible, while the crash scene and relevant evidence are preserved for investigation.
He said corps crash investigation procedures required officers to document physical evidence at the scene and identify persons involved in the crash.
On where corpses were taken after recovery, Ohaeri said deceased victims were handled through appropriate authorities and facilities, depending on the circumstances and location of the crash.
He explained that where a mortuary or appropriate health facility was available, the remains could be transferred there, while the Police and other relevant authorities would be involved in identification, investigation and formal custody procedures.
“The important point is that FRSC does not regard a corpse as an ordinary ambulance passenger or simply abandon the remains at a crash scene.
“There should be proper documentation and transfer to the appropriate authority or facility,” he said.
Ohaeri also clarified the corps’ policy on the transportation of deceased victims alongside injured casualties in FRSC ambulances.
He explained that the operational principle was to keep living and deceased victims separate, adding that FRSC’s rescue procedure expressly placed the evacuation of critical living victims ahead of the movement of dead bodies.
He said that circumstances at individual crash scenes could however create exceptional situations, depending on factors such as the availability of vehicles, distance, the number of casualties and available medical or mortuary facilities.
According to him, the operational principle is clear, the ambulance is primarily an emergency rescue vehicle for living casualties requiring medical attention, and deceased persons should be handled separately whenever practicable.
The CPEO said that the procedures were aimed at ensuring that emergency response remained focused on saving lives while deceased victims were handled respectfully and transferred through the appropriate channels.
He added that proper casualty assessment, timely evacuation, preservation of crash evidence and coordination with relevant authorities were essential components of effective post-crash response.