Because of the high number of victims, the call went out for more ambulances to assist. One of the victims had reportedly suffered a serious head injury. A helicopter was dispatched to take that victim to a Syracuse area hospital better equipped to deal with such injuries. The rescue workers checked what Abbott says is the victim's ABCs. The first thing is to check their airways to make sure it's clear.
Breathing is next.
The EMTs checked to see if the victims were breathing on their own and listened to their lungs as well for clues to any other problems. Circulation was next. If any bleeding was discovered, the EMTs stopped it as quickly as possible. Once the initial check was completed, the EMTs were better able to give the victims a physical exam looking for bleeding, broken or fractured bones or other trauma. That way we won't compound any of their injuries.