Motorcycle accident first aid: what to do if you see a crash

What should you do in the first few minutes?

First-aid courses teach a simple order: Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation (DRABC). It keeps you from the most common mistake, which is running to the rider without watching the traffic.

1. Danger. Stop somewhere safe, turn on your hazard lights and warn oncoming traffic. Switch off the bike’s engine if it is still running and do not smoke nearby: there may be spilled fuel.
2. Call for help. Call the emergency number for the country (table below). Give the exact location, how many people are hurt, and whether they are conscious and breathing.
3. Response. Talk to the rider without moving them. Ask their name and where it hurts.
4. Airway and breathing. If they do not respond, check whether their chest rises and falls. You can lift the visor to see and hear better.
5. Circulation. If they are bleeding, press a clean cloth firmly on the wound and keep pressing.
6. Find their medical info. Look at the helmet, tank or fender: if there is an emergency QR code, scan it with your phone camera and show the details to paramedics when they arrive.

Which number should you call?

Call yourself, even if other people are holding their phones: everyone tends to assume someone else already called.

Have this ready before they answer: the address, mile marker or a landmark, how many people are hurt, whether anyone is unconscious or not breathing, and whether there is fire or fuel on the road. Stay on the line until the dispatcher tells you to hang up: they will often coach you through what to do.

Should you remove a motorcycle helmet after a crash?

No. A full-face helmet should only come off if the rider is not breathing or their airway is blocked and they need resuscitation. Otherwise, removing it can make a neck or spinal injury worse. This is the guidance in the New South Wales Government’s first-aid advice for motorcyclists.

• You can lift the visor to talk to the rider and check their breathing without moving their head.
• If the rider wants to take it off, ask them to wait for paramedics.
• If it truly has to come off for CPR, it takes two people: one holds the head and neck steady while the other removes the helmet with as little head movement as possible.

Should you move the rider?

Only if staying put is more dangerous than moving: fire, fuel near a heat source or traffic that cannot be stopped. In that case, move them as one unit, with several people keeping the head, neck and back in line.

If they are unconscious but breathing, leave them as they are and keep watching their breathing. If they vomit, roll them onto their side together, again as one unit, so they do not choke.

How do you find their blood type, allergies and family?

This is the exact problem Pablo Porras, founder of MásVidas, saw at another rider’s crash during a trip: nobody knew who to call, and paramedics had no blood type, drug allergies or insurance details. There are three places to look:

1. An emergency QR code on the helmet or bike. Anyone can scan it with a phone camera, no app needed. It shows the details the rider chose to make public and has a button to alert their family. We explain it in what is an emergency QR code.
2. A medical ID bracelet or tag. It usually carries one engraved condition, such as diabetes or a severe allergy. We compare both in QR code vs. medical ID bracelet.
3. The phone’s Medical ID. iPhone and Android can show it on the lock screen, but you need to know where to look, and the phone has to survive the crash.

Do not go through the rider’s wallet or pockets looking for documents: leave that to police and paramedics. An emergency QR code exists so nobody has to.

What should you not do?

• Do not remove the helmet unless they are not breathing and need CPR.
• Do not move them or sit them up, even if they say they are fine: adrenaline hides pain.
• Do not give them water, food or medication. They may need surgery.
• Do not leave them alone until the ambulance arrives.
• Do not film or post photos. Their family should not find out on social media.
• Do not put yourself at risk. A second casualty helps no one.

What if you are the one who crashed?

1. If you can move, get off the road to somewhere safe. If you cannot, stay still and ask for help.
2. Keep your helmet and jacket on: they protect and support you.
3. Call the emergency number yourself, or ask someone to do it.
4. Get checked by a doctor the same day even if you feel fine: some internal injuries do not hurt at first.
5. Keep your insurance policy number in your medical profile so it is at hand. Riding in Colombia? See what SOAT covers.

Why do the first few minutes matter so much?

Because riders are the most exposed people on the road. In the United States, 6,366 motorcyclists died in 2023, 16% of all motor vehicle crash deaths, according to the IIHS. In Colombia, 5,146 motorcyclists died in 2024, 62% of all 8,271 road deaths, according to preliminary figures from the national road safety observatory.

Calling quickly, not making injuries worse and handing paramedics the rider’s blood type and allergies are three things any bystander can do without medical training.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• IIHS, Fatality Facts 2023: Motorcycles and ATVs.
• New South Wales Government, First aid for motorcyclists.
• Colombia’s national road safety observatory, preliminary 2024 figures, reported by Autocosmos.

This guide is for information only and does not replace a first-aid course or the instructions of the emergency dispatcher. MásVidas is not an emergency service.