Unstable trapped driver triage — DipIMC MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

ModerateScene Safety, Medicolegal and CommunicationUnstable trapped driver triageDipIMC

At a multi-casualty road collision, a trapped adult driver cannot walk and is pale and confused. RR is 30, pulse 132 and there is suspected pelvic injury. Extrication is expected to take 20 minutes. What is the triage category?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: A — Priority 1 (red)

Option A is correct because This patient has abnormal physiology with suspected major haemorrhage and needs immediate life-saving intervention and rapid extrication planning. Priority 2 underestimates the urgency because the shock physiology is already present. Triage is dynamic and should be repeated after haemorrhage control, binder application and extrication. Option B is less appropriate because Priority 2 is for serious injury without immediate life-saving criteria; option D is less appropriate because Priority 3 is for walking wounded or minor casualties with stable physiology. Option C is less appropriate because expectant triage is used in exceptional resource-limited circumstances; option E is less appropriate because the stem does not meet criteria for death assignment. Clinical pearl: in DipIMC-style questions, the best answer is the intervention that changes outcome earliest in the pre-hospital phase.

Reference: MIMMS; NHS England Major Incident Triage Tool