“Unscheduled dismount” seems like an innocuous term but when it refers to motorcycle riders, it can mean a life or death situation.
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and to support victims and first responders, MedStar and area first response agencies are making Rider Alert safety cards available for all area motorcycle riders.
Matt Zavadsky, MedStar’s chief strategic integration officer, said the card was designed by paramedics who have been on both sides of an accident as the injured rider or as medical help.
“As an EMS provider and a motorcycle rider, I have the Rider Alert card and sticker on my helmet,” Zavadsky said in a news release. “Accessing this basic information after an ‘unscheduled dismount’ can sometimes be impossible. This small tool could mean the difference between life and death.”
The Rider Alert card (www.RiderAlert.org) is placed inside a rider’s helmets and contains vital, life-saving information, emergency contact and any important medical history.
“Many motorcycle crash victims are unconscious when responders arrive making it very difficult for EMS personnel to know the patient’s medical history or emergency contacts,” Dr. Neal Richmond, MedStar’s medical director, said in the release. “Another major concern for crash victims are untrained Good Samaritans attempting to remove the rider’s helmet, which can cause further injury,” he said.
When first responders arrive on the scene of a motorcycle accident, a one-inch, sticker on the outside of the helmet will indicate that the biker has the Rider Alert Card. The sticker also warns untrained responders not to remove the helmet.
The card is free and can be obtained at MedStar’s headquarters and at most motorcycle dealerships throughout Fort Worth. If you would like to have one mailed to you, email MZavadsky@medstar911.org
MedStar Mobile Healthcare
2900 Alta Mere Drive
Fort Worth, Texas 76116
For more information:
medstar911.org
rideralert.org
– FWBP Staff