First Responder Car Accidents
For many commuters and bystanders, the sirens of police and emergency services mean that help is on the way. These brave, heroic individuals, like all segments of society, have their weak links. Today we will discuss how emergency responders have exceptions and licenses to violate our standard vehicle codes. Besides the risks of Los Angeles being the car chase capital of the world, there is an additional risk of other people getting hit or run down by a fire truck or an ambulance.
There are many examples of emergency responders plowing down sleeping vagrants, deaf people in crosswalks, or police cars running down protesters. But there are even stranger tales of a Sheriff’s prison bus or political caravan leading to someone t-boning a small vehicle and killing or maiming the people inside. Sometimes no one is at fault. And sometimes, both parties are responsible; other times, the cops and EMS are immune from being sued.
Below we will discuss how to efficiently deal with these public servants if they go outside their acceptable risks for a given driving situation. Namely, if they cause you, the public at large, or someone you love a terrible roadway tragedy, we tell you how to sue them in court.
The various types of agencies and personnel most commonly involved in police and ambulance driver types collisions are the ones out there in the thick of it every day, and these kinds of characters include:
- Firefighters and EMS, for example, are usually heading to the scene of an accident or smoking vehicles ablaze. So first responders make their way known with their flashing lights and loud sirens. At least, you may think it’s an emergency when sometimes it isn’t.
- Paramedics also rushed to help injury victims across the country, often at significant risk to themselves.
- Police, of course, chase down speeders and criminals. But is this always why they are running red lights flashing and having close calls with taxpayers on the roads? In their ways, each emergency service plays a significant role in ensuring that our society can function safely. But let’s see if they were acting within the course and scope of their jobs or just abusing the system to get somewhere quick, for example.
Even the Most Honorable First Responder Can Be a Negligent Vehicle Driver
Unfortunately, mistakes do and will happen. Due to accidents, police, fire, and paramedic vehicles collide with other cars and trucks on the road every year. The high rates of speed and large size of these vehicles can often lead to severe injury and even death. The situation is even more difficult if these vehicles are among the few in service in an area.
Bogus Emergency Notifications/Alarms Can Lead to Devastation
Some public servants abuse their oath of office and use their emergency sirens and lights when not responding to emergencies for personal convenience. And sometimes, these accidents are caused by improperly functioning emergency notifications that turn on or off by themselves, starting other drivers, and making them take evasive action as part of accident avoidance.
Sirens and lights that were not working well or at all means that drivers won’t see the lights flashing or hear the sirens blaring. So if the other motorists sharing the road do not have the time to get out of the way, an accident often results. The busy California roads and freeways can rapidly lead to a multi-car pileup and even more injuries.
Legal Help is Useful in these Situations
When injured in such an accident, it remains vital to discover what caused the disaster. Next, you need to know how to respond appropriately. You will likely require immediate medical care. A skilled attorney will help you find such care and, in some cases, a means to pay for it. Like the hawk-eyes at Ehline Law, such legal experts will be able to work with accident reconstructionists. Then they can recreate the scene of the incident and determine which factors caused the crash.
Trustworthy and properly-trained lawyers can help you prove if it was non-working flashers or sirens that played a role in your crash. Non-working lights can also play a role in certain construction vehicles and over-sized vehicles, harming road users. If their roof’s emergency lights were not functioning, this could be a primary cause of the accident. The agency meant to maintain these warning signs or the company that initially manufactured or distributed them could be liable. But almost always, they will lie and defend. Without a lawyer, good luck getting any money.
Get Help from a Motivated Lawyer Now!
Above, we covered the various ways first responders can cause or contribute to car accidents. We included inadequate sirens and improper warning lights, as well as outright driver negligence. We also talked about methods of locating and suing the liable parties for negligence. For more information, accident victims should call Ehline Law in Los Angeles right away. Our serious, bodily injury attorneys have handled hundreds of past similar cases, holding our own against government agencies, including large corporations.
We’ve helped hundreds of clients get their lives back together. We work on contingency and never ask for money upfront– only if we win for you. Serious injury victims should call or email us 24/7 to set up a pressure-free, free consultation. We help severe injury victims win MAXIMUM compensation from at-fault-parties at (213) 596-9642
