‘Never a time to be a hero’: Hawke’s Bay police officer’s tips for when first on crash scene

Senior constable Andy Walker says it never gets easier attending crashes. Photo / Paul Taylor

Senior constable Andy Walker has seen his “fair share” of motoring tragedies – about 17 years’ worth.

They are memories he would not wish on anyone.

But for the holiday season, it puts him in a position to impart his hard-earned wisdom to drivers who find themselves the first on confronting crash scenes.

Senior constable Andy Walker says it never gets easier attending crashes. Photo / Paul Taylor

The Central Hawke’s Bay-based officer said the sights and sounds never got any easier.

“The ones that get you are the innocent victims that get caught up through someone else’s fault,” he said.

Being the first on a crash scene could cause an adrenaline rush, he said, but the first, and arguably the most important, consideration was to keep yourself safe.

“There’s never a time to be a hero, everybody should take a deep breath and start to think before they act.

“You are no good to anyone if you become incapacitated and need assistance yourself.”

It was crucial to be aware of other traffic, as there could be potential to be hit by passing vehicles.

“Often people driving past are focused on the crash and not on what’s in front of them.”

Get others involved in the response after pulling over and putting on hazard lights.

It was important to assess the situation before intervening and to call emergency services.

“If their life is at risk, like if the vehicle was on fire or in the water and you needed to do it to save their life, then you have to move them.”

As for reporting the accident to emergency services, identify and report the location correctly.

This could be done easily in an urban setting with street names – but could be more challenging in a rural setting.

“If you ring 111, we should get a reasonably good idea of your location from the call.”

If cellphone reception was an issue, check for roadside markers or rapid numbers on gates.

“It can waste valuable time while you are trying to go up and down different parts of the road looking for the crash.”

The most significant contributing factors in crashes are restraints, impairment, distraction and speed. Photo / Warren Buckland

Detective Sergeant Emmet Lynch, Serious Crash Investigations in the Eastern District, said it was important to be patient and drive to the conditions.

Lynch said the most significant contributing factors in crashes were restraints, impairment (including driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and fatigue), distraction (including use of mobile phones) and speed.

“The higher the speed of a vehicle involved in a crash, the more likely the outcome will involve serious injury or death. It is not unusual to see a high number of crashes on highways and rural roads.”

He advised road users to help at a scene only if they were safely able to do so.

“Make the scene safe by ensuring road traffic is stopped or controlled without further risk to the parties involved in the crash.”

Lynch said if powerlines or poles were involved people should not touch the vehicle or those in it until specialists arrived.

“Don’t move injured persons unless you need to assist them to maintain an airway or stop arterial bleeding.”

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.