Used my firearm in an emergency scenario today

[39flathead]

thought vehicles had sensors to shut off fuel when they're upside down, not really any other position.

has anyone ever broken a window with a knife? methinks the small point of impact would provide for very little additional force, press knife to window and whack butt with object of choice.
thats kind of how the sparkplug trick works.

GJ viper.
something to be said for living in the sticks though. less people, less encounters.

The thing to remember when breaking out car windows is to go for the lower corners near the edge.
I've never tried using a knife but I imagine a quality one would work ok if you keep the tip from slipping off the glass and embedding into your arm or such.

A spring loaded centerpunch is one of the easiest things you can use to punch out a side window.
I keep one in my center console.

[mpan72]

thought vehicles had sensors to shut off fuel when they're upside down, not really any other position.

has anyone ever broken a window with a knife? methinks the small point of impact would provide for very little additional force, press knife to window and whack butt with object of choice.
thats kind of how the sparkplug trick works.

GJ viper.
something to be said for living in the sticks though. less people, less encounters.

I have used a flat head screw driver. It took several tries but it worked when a hammer would not.

[ViperGTS19801]

I am looking into getting a knife with a glassbreaker, actually. Using an unfolded knife as a glassbreaker is super sketchy - most likely, the sharp tip of the blade is more likely to slip upon any impact, due to it's tip being so sharp. The rounded porcelain of a spark plug, on the other hand, while still only presenting a very small area of pressure to the flat surface of the glass, is curved and much less likely to slip and want to lay flat under pressure.

[fallenleader]

see, i've always seen people throw a chip of spark plug at the window.
and i figured you'd be bumping the butt of the knife, however i saw someone mess up a knife tip so something to be said for carbide punches.
i whacked a window with a 2' 1/2" breaker bar, it bounced off a few times. that was the last time i had to break a window.

[heatheroo]

I have seen reference to using the removable headrest from the car seat to break out a window in an emergency.

[allenr]

Great work. Hope it is the only way you have to save life and limb with a gun.

[phill]

Thanks for pointing these things out. You make valid points, but the very first person who was on the scene was a trained emergency responder - me - and I made sure to take a proper size-up of the situation, assess the people who were or weren't ambulatory, and decide on what forward progress could be made towards eliminating any hazards to the life or health of the people involved. .
.

That having been said, you're right - injuries at any accident scene need to be assessed by a medical professional, depending on their severity. Head, neck, back, gushing (blood) and some other injuries need to be stabilized before doing much else.

Judging from the original post I would like to assume that he was posting for the rest of us who are Not Properly trained.

[PAMedic=F|A=]

Personally I wouldn't drag anyone out of the vehicle until their injuries are assessed. They could have a broken neck or back and unnecessary yanking them out could impair them for life. Cars just don't explode like a CHiPs episode. It's very rare to have an explosive situation in a car accident where someone needs to be dragged out of a vehicle right now this second.

My first concern when reading the OP.

It isn't the 1960s. We have now actually done studies, and spinal cords are injured or they are not. As long as you maintain anything that at all resembles normal body positions, you're not going to injure someone worse by moving them. The idea that someone who fell or was in a car wreck is going to be hurt by moving is nothing more than flat earther, anti-vaxxer pseudo-crap.

[jw34]

It isn't the 1960s. We have now actually done studies, and spinal cords are injured or they are not. As long as you maintain anything that at all resembles normal body positions, you're not going to injure someone worse by moving them. The idea that someone who fell or was in a car wreck is going to be hurt by moving is nothing more than flat earther, anti-vaxxer pseudo-crap.

As is the idea that every car involved in a wreck is going to explode like on an episode of CHiPs. The OP was written as if this was the case, with no mention of injury evaluation. Thus, cause for concern. After reading further clarifying posts, that concern is addressed. Apparently done correctly, but overlooked in the typing of the op.

[awfroadan]

The Benchmade Triage is the perfect daily carry for this situation. Glass breaker and seat belt hook, I have not had to use mine yet but it's on me daily.