Car Accidents Involving Fire Trucks
Emergency vehicles like fire trucks are frequently called to the scene of a car crash. While these service vehicles are usually on the responding end of a collision, they aren’t immune to being involved in one themselves. Car accidents involving fire trucks are more common than most people realize and can be catastrophic.
Car accident lawyers at the Foley Law Firm understand the unique dangers and damages that fire truck accidents pose. They are prepared to help injury victims in Scranton, PA, Stroudsburg, PA, Wilkes-Barre, PA, and surrounding areas pursue maximum compensation for their losses following a crash with a fire truck.
Causes of Fire Truck Accidents
When fire trucks are on the road, they are frequently traveling at high speeds. They are under pressure to get to a fire or the scene of an accident as quickly as possible so that lives can be saved.
Unfortunately, many drivers are unaware of how to respond when a fire truck is driving down the street, and when a fire truck is traveling at high speeds, it gives drivers little time to make the correct decision. This lack of preparation, along with the rushed behavior of most fire truck drivers, contributes to some of the most common causes of fire truck accidents:
- Failure to yield the right of way to a fire truck using lights and sirens
- Speeding
- Falling equipment (when it has not been properly secured)
- Failure to follow posted traffic signs or signals
- Driving while fatigued (firefighters regularly work long shifts)
Common Types of Fire Truck Accident Injuries
Fire truck accidents frequently result in catastrophic injuries, or death. Individuals who are fortunate enough to survive a fire truck accident are likely to suffer from injuries that result in long-term or lifelong consequences. Some of the most common types of fire truck accident injuries include:
- Cuts and contusions
- Broken bones
- Internal organ damage
- Severe burns
- Whiplash
- Traumatic head, neck, or back injuries
What Makes Fire Truck Accidents So Dangerous?
All car accidents have the potential to cause catastrophic injury or death, but the risk is greater when a fire truck is involved. The biggest danger of a car accident involving a fire truck is the impact of the collision. Fire trucks are significantly larger than passenger vehicles and trucks; they weigh around the same as a commercial truck. The size and weight of a fire truck, along with the fact that they are often traveling at high speeds when a collision occurs, combines to create an accident impact that is disastrous.
Pursuing Compensation for Damages
When someone is injured in a collision with a fire truck, their physical injuries are just one type of damage. They are also likely to suffer losses that include pain and suffering, emotional trauma, medical expenses, and loss of income (or loss of wage earning potential).
The car accident lawyers at the Foley Law Firm investigate accidents to determine who is liable for the collision. They then go after liable parties and actively pursue maximum compensation for the full range of their client’s losses. Their knowledge and experience can prove invaluable, especially when an accident involves a fire truck, since these cases tend to be more complex.
Contact Foley Law Firm
To find out how the attorneys at the Foley Law Firm can be of assistance to you following a car accident, send us a message online. You can also call our office at (800) 523-6539 to request a personal consultation.