“I was driving in the middle of the day about 550km north-west of Alice Springs up the Tanami Road when I came across a rolled car,” he said. “The driver had been driving a mum and her two kids back to a community but was inexperienced on the road, lost traction, over-corrected and rolled it. “The mother of the two kids was flung out of the car. “The driver was in hysterics because of what just happened and I had two four and five-year-old kids crying and coming up to me asking me to help their mum. “I went over to the lady and checked her vitals but she had passed away.”

Loading Mr Baldwin went and checked on the kids and turned his mind to getting help. There was no phone signal but he remembered the people he had just delivered to had a radio. “I ran back to the truck, got on to the radio, and called for help, we were lucky and they sent a car,” he said. “We got the kids away from the situation within half an hour.

“For two hours I was in the middle of the desert with a lady I didn't know who was deceased with a towel over her and I was shooing the flies off her waiting for police.” Mr Baldwin acted within the space of a few minutes and while there was nothing he could do to save the mother’s life, he said even if there was, he wasn't sure he would have been able to. “If there was a slight chance that I could have helped in some way I would have wanted to be able to but I guess had this situation been slightly different, I wouldn't have known what to do,” he said. This first aid skills gap and what happens when truck drivers are sent on their way after a traumatic crash will now be the subject of a world-first study. The Northern Territory Road Transport Association and Western Roads Federation will spend $40,000 to find out just how regularly truck drivers become proxy paramedics on remote roads.

They will also pilot a program in five locations that will teach truckies how to identify critical injuries, how to keep a victim alive for extended periods and how to communicate with emergency services. NT Roads Association Louise Bilato said truckies were often the first on the scene of serious motor accidents and they often paid a heavy mental toll. “What we wanted to know is what portion of our industry is affected so we can look at where there needs to be more education and support,” she said. “Employers ready them for their job but not as a roadside paramedic.” She said the study came out of a need to support and retain the industry’s shrinking workforce.

The study will look at how many truck drivers act as first responders in remote Australia. Credit:Andrew Quilty “We have an ageing workforce and different range of skill sets in remote Australia, especially with road trains and we can’t lose these workers,” she said. Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said the study would shed light on a “hidden issue” and he expected the training to save lives. “In WA, mine rescue teams often act as first responders in emergencies and we can’t call ambulances in remote areas so it’s them and our truck drivers that can improve responses to accidents,” he said. “If you don’t stop a severe haemorrhage in a few minutes it’s over so this will help save lives.”

Royal Flying Doctor Service spokeswoman Lana Mitchell applauded the program and agreed it would improve outcomes after accidents. “Mateship and strong community responsibility is what Australia’s outback is so well known for — and the Royal Flying Doctor Service relies heavily on first responders — whether that is a motor vehicle accident, someone having a heart attack, a significant farming injury, or a women in premature labour,” she said. “It is highly recommended that everyone work to have basic first aid knowledge so that if they find themselves as the first responders at the scene of a medical emergency, they know what to do.” Mr Baldwin said the pilots couldn't come soon enough. “I think truck drivers are the most misunderstood people, you go from dealing with unhappy customers – sometimes bosses putting people under undue pressure – to the next minute you're coming across kids screaming to wake their mum up,” he said.