Red Cross Lifeguard Practice Test

What should be your first action if you suspect a spinal injury in a conscious victim?

1. Ask the victim if they can move their arms and legs.

2. Keep the victim still and call for emergency help.

3. Carefully move the victim to a flat surface.

4. Attempt to assess the extent of the injury.

The correct answer is: Keep the victim still and call for emergency help.

When suspecting a spinal injury in a conscious victim, the primary concern is to prevent any further injury while ensuring the victim's safety. Keeping the victim still is critical because movement could exacerbate a potential spinal injury, leading to increased damage to the spinal cord, which may result in permanent paralysis or other serious complications. Calling for emergency help is also key, as professional medical assistance will be necessary to assess and treat the injury properly. The victim may be frightened or in pain, and it is vital that they stay calm and in a position that minimizes movement until help arrives. Assessing movement or attempting to move the victim could lead to additional injury, which is why those actions are not appropriate in this situation. The focus should always be on stabilizing the victim and obtaining emergency medical services as soon as possible.