Fire Truck Accidents

Fire trucks are an important vehicle to the safety of millions of citizens in the United States because they carry firefighters to and from emergencies, especially accidents and fires. These trucks have emergency gear on them to care for injured people or to put out a raging fire. Fire trucks, although they have sirens and emergency lights, are not immune to getting into accidents on the roadways. The majority of fire truck accidents occur on crowded city streets at major intersections. Fire trucks are required by law to come to a complete stop at a stop sign or red light with their lights and sirens on prior to moving through the intersection against the stop sign or red light.

Causes

Fire truck accidents can be caused by a variety of different factors including the following:

• Driver fatigue
• Driving under the influence or intoxication of drugs or alcohol
• Faulty equipment
• Failed breaks
• Failure to yield
• Running a red light without first coming to a stop
• Changing lanes improperly
• Speeding
• Driver error
• Falling equipment

Liability

Liability in this type of case can fall on one or more parties. The parties that can be held liable for a fire truck accident includes the fire truck driver, a firefighter that improperly loaded equipment on the truck, the fire chief, the fire captain, the fire commissioner, the mayor, a fire police officer, the manufacturer of the fire truck and other entities of the fire department. The fire chief, captain, and/or commissioner could be held liable if they allowed a specific firefighter to drive the truck with known alcohol related problems or other drug use problems. The driver of the truck could be held liable if he or she did not operate the vehicle following the laws and the fire truck manufacturer could be held liable if a piece of the truck was found to be defective following the accident.

Injuries and Compensation

Victims of this type of accident can suffer from trauma, emotional stress, broken bones, burns, lacerations, fractures, severed limbs, concussions, comas and much more. The victims of this accident can receive compensation for pain and suffering, loss of wages, repair costs, medical bills, hospital bills, punitive damages, funeral costs, court fees, and legal fees.

Legal Help

If you or a loved one has been injured in a fire truck accident, contact an attorney immediately for expert legal advice regarding your case. The attorney will conduct an investigation of the accident to determine which party should be sued for liability and negligence; which ultimately caused the injuries and damage suffered by the victims.