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Traffic Accidents with Fire Engines, Ambulances, and Police Cars

Accidents normally occur and there are thousands of accidents happening in the country every year. There are many causes of accidents and the amount of damages paid by auto insurance companies for deaths and injuries is staggering. But there are accidents that have to be treated in a different manner from the regular accidents that occur. One should be wary when an accident involves emergency vehicles.

Emergency vehicles like ambulances, police cars and fire trucks have priority use of the road during emergency situations and drivers must give way to these vehicles when they hear their sirens coming their way. Because drivers of emergency vehicles usually drive fast to reach their destination, accidents they get involved with are usually more serious, causing severe injuries and death in most occasions. While emergency vehicles are liable for damages, those who are damaged by them are usually found to be partially liable for the damages because they did not exercise due diligence in considering that emergency vehicles are supposed to have priority over the road especially when their siren and their blinking emergency lights are on.

It is therefore advisable that if you value your life and your property, you should take extra precaution when you hear sirens or see emergency lights blinking coming from behind. You should immediately slow down and yield your lane to the emergency vehicle that is fast approaching. If you meet an accident involving emergency vehicles, you should consult your solicitor because the incident is one that may need special legal attention due to the circumstances involved. In many cases, the emergency vehicles do not stop when the accident only involves vehicle damage and there were no persons were injured during the accident since they have to attend to the emergency situation that they are in. This is especially true in accidents involving police cars that are in pursuit of criminals on the roads or highways.

There are some cases when the blame for the accident falls on the vehicle hit by an emergency vehicle. This becomes a problem especially if the insurance coverage of your car is not enough to compensate for the damages incurred in the accident. However, emergency vehicles are not above the law and they have to take responsibility for their actions on the road. They are enjoined to be more careful and diligent in making sure that they do not cause damage to anybody when travelling at high speeds. They must also make sure that the emergency they are dealing with really requires them to drive at high speed. They can be made liable if they meet an accident and it is found out that the emergency situation does not require them to drive at high speed.

Today, studies are being done to reduce the incidence of accidents involving emergency vehicles. Additional trainings are given to the drivers of emergency vehicle with the hope that they will be more careful when driving their fast vehicles. With these developments, it is expected that the number of these accidents will be reduced.