Accidents involving emergency vehicles, such as firetrucks, police cars, and ambulances, are a growing concern in the United States. They result in thousands of injuries each year. Victims could suffer broken or fractured bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, lacerations, bruises, internal hemorrhaging, paralysis, burns, and soft tissue injuries. Our firm provides aggressive representation to clients injured in emergency vehicle accidents. We will discuss your options for pursuing financial relief, and will aggressively uphold your right to a settlement.
Here are some statistics regarding emergency vehicle accidents in the United States.
Accidents Involving Police Cars
A police vehicle report in 2012 found that, on average, 1 person is killed in a pursuit-related accident every day in the United States. Furthermore, researchers from the University of Washington analyzed data from 1994-2002 to determine the number of fatalities resulting from police pursuits each year.
The results:
- Police officers have about double the rate of car crashes per million vehicles driven as the general public
- There are nearly 300 police pursuit fatalities each year in the United States
- More than 30% of the fatalities are people not involved in the police pursuit
Accidents Involving Firetrucks
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA) estimate that firetruck accidents are the second leading cause of on-the-job deaths for firefighters. The NHTSA conducted research on firetruck accidents from 2000-2009.
The results:
- Over a period of 10 years, there were about 31,600 firetruck accidents
- Around 70% of firetruck accidents occur while in emergency use
- Nearly 50 of the firetruck accidents resulted in at least 1 fatality to an occupant of the firetruck
- Rollover accidents accounted for nearly 66% of all fatal firetruck accidents in the U.S.
Accidents Involving Ambulances
In 2014, the NHTSA released statistics on ambulance accidents in the U.S. from 1992-2011. The North-Western National also conducted research into the number of ambulance crashes across the country each year, and the researchers studied 466 ambulance accidents.
The results:
- There are an average of 6,500 ambulance accidents every year in the U.S.
- Nearly 60% of ambulance accidents happen while in emergency use
- Emergency medical personnel are at greater risk of an accident than other first responders
- There are nearly 35 fatalities in ambulance crashes each year
Providing Tenacious Representation to Injured Clients in Louisville
Since 1991, Brett H. Oppenheimer, PLLC has fought for the rights of injured clients. We have recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts on behalf of our clients, and stay up to date on federal and state laws. If you or a loved one have been injured in an emergency vehicle accident, our Louisville car accident attorney will answer your questions, determine your options for pursuing compensation, and walk you through the legal process.
Contact our office today to get started with a free consultation.