Torsten Hanspach is “Road Hero” of the month January. With the award, the Automobile Club of Germany (AvD) recognizes the 54-year-old’s first aid work in a serious traffic accident in December, in which two cars collided head-on.
Torsten Hanspach was on his way back to Erlangen in the evening when he noticed the cars in front of him suddenly braked and stopped near the Hessdorf industrial park on State Road 2240. In the darkness, he first noticed hazard warning lights in oncoming traffic, which was also backed up, and a cloud of steam: a head-on collision had occurred at the intersection in front of him. The 54-year-old got out immediately to help, but not without considering his own protection. He asked another driver to set up a warning triangle on the poorly lit road and put on his safety vest. In addition, the man from Erlangen attached a combi light he had brought with him to his car roof with suction cups.
Some road users were already standing close to the accident and an emergency call appeared to have been made, but chaos still reigned around the two vehicles that had collided head-on. “To be on the safe side, I dialed the emergency number again myself. The accident had only happened shortly before and I wanted to be sure that the emergency services were informed accordingly,” reports Torsten Hanspach. He gave the main points. There were three people involved in the accident, some seriously injured, one person was not really responsive, and fuel leaked out.
While Torsten Hanspach is helping a passenger, a woman who is an emergency doctor and who has been traveling privately comes along. Together they took care of the injured, talk to them, clarify pain and monitor the circulation until the rescue service and fire brigade arrive. The man from Erlangen was able to rely on the knowledge from his first aid courses, which he attends regularly. “Often there is not much that you can and must do. Being there and encouraging people to bridge the time is important,” he explains. More than 20 years ago I had already been a first responder in two serious accidents. It was then that he realized that he wanted to be better prepared for such cases in the future. Therefore, he regularly attends first aid courses. “It helps tremendously in staying calm and knowing what to do. After all, the worst thing is not doing anything at all out of ignorance or not having the courage to do something for fear of doing something wrong,” says Tosten Hanspach.
Every month, the AvD is looking for first-aiders who have saved other road users from worse situations through their exemplary behavior. The campaign is supported by the magazine “Auto Verkehr”. (awm)