Being in a car accident in Miami is always scary, but it can be even more so if your collision is with an emergency vehicle. It can be deeply intimidating to be involved in a crash with an emergency responder or police officer and you may assume that you will automatically be found at fault. In these cases, it is especially important for you to stay calm and to value evaluate your options carefully. You may also want to consult with a Miami traffic accident attorney for support.
Emergency responders such as police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and other vehicles drive very quickly in order to get to emergency scenes. The professionals at the wheel of these vehicles receive additional training to allow them to safely navigate the streets at high speeds and in unusual circumstances. Nevertheless, it doesn’t necessarily mean that if you have been in an accident with an emergency vehicle that you were at fault. Human error still can be a factor and in some cases police officers, firefighters, ambulance drivers, and others are negligent or do make mistakes which cause a crash.
What to Do if You Have Been in an Accident with an Ambulance, Fire Truck, Police Car, or Other Emergency Vehicle
Just as you would with a regular crash, get contact information. Make sure to get the ID or badge number of the emergency personnel driving the vehicle, any ID numbers on the vehicle itself, and pictures of the scene. Your best option after that is to contact your insurance company but also a personal injury attorney.
In many cases, emergency vehicle drivers are protected by powerful unions or the municipal local government. Your ability to get fair compensation for the crash, even if you are not at fault, may be limited if you try to resolve the issue yourself. You may also be blamed, even if you did nothing wrong. Working with an attorney ensures that the insurer treats you fairly and that you get compensation you are entitled to.
Since emergency vehicles drive at high speeds, crashes involving these vehicles can be deadly. While they are rare, when they do occur loss of life, amputation, serious head and spinal cord trauma, and other serious injuries are quite common. The cost can be high after this type of crash since you may need to pay for lost income, car replacement or repairs, significant medical bills, and more. Working with an attorney ensures you don’t have to pay for all of these costs out of pocket if someone else’s negligence caused your accident. An attorney can seek out all liable parties, including anyone who failed to slow down or stop for an emergency vehicle and may have indirectly caused your crash.
Contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) for a free accident consultation if you’d like to speak to a car collision attorney in Hollywood. Our legal team has more than six decades of combined experience and has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of thousands of plaintiffs just like you.