First-on-scene training put to use
A Driver First Assist (DFA) member has been praised by local police for his handling of an accident on the M6 last month. The collision involved three vehicles on the M6 between junctions 10 and 10A at night, just north of Walsall, and affected two lanes of the carriageway. DFA is a road safety initiative which seeks to reduce road fatalities through incident first-on-scene training.
When the police arrived they found a Mark Thompson Transport tractor unit in lane two, effectively protecting both the affected vehicles and casualties. It is thought that the quick response of driver Nigel Abbott reduced the severity of the injuries suffered by the casualties, as well as preventing more vehicles from being involved.
PC Martin Smith of Central Motorway Police Group said: “I trained Nigel at his home depot recently, and have to say that his vehicle positioning and casualty management were straight out of the manual. I also noticed that he was doing a brilliant job of managing a casualty with spinal injuries. Ensuring that no further damage is caused in these ways is a simple and essential part of accident management and Nigel is a brilliant example of what the Driver First Assist training can offer.”
