A young man riding a motorcycle was hit head on and ejected from the bike. Your scene size-up reveals him to be lying supine in the roadway with obvious deformity to his right thigh and left ankle, with blood noted to his pants in these areas. Patient assessment reveals he is unresponsive with snoring respirations and is breathing 16 times per minute. His radial pulse is moderate in strength, and

his skin is warm and dry. Which one of the following actions should be performed FIRST?

A) Check for distal pulses in both lower extremities.
B) Take and maintain manual inline spinal stabilization.
C) Expose and splint both legs to prevent further injury.
D) Open the airway using the head-tilt/chin-lift.

Answer: B