Dangerous And Heavy: Sharing The Road With Emergency Vehicles

The heroes that respond to emergencies are usually a welcome sight when you need them; they represent hope and rescue from even the most wretched of circumstances. These same heroes, however, rely on big and heavy emergency vehicles to get them to accident scenes, fires and all manner of disasters. Those behemoths of the road can be dangerous in their own right, turning from a rescue vehicle to an accident's cause. Read on to learn more.

Built to Take Abuse

These are not ordinary vehicles, they are heavier and sturdier than almost any other truck on the road. They have to be, they must withstand bad road conditions, the elements, the heat of fires and more. When you add on the load of emergency equipment needed to properly respond to an emergency, you have one large, heavy and fast vehicle. Smaller passenger cars on the road don't have a chance when matched against these specialized vehicles. While these drivers are skilled, accidents do happen and when they do the results can be devastating and severe.

More Likely to Die

If you are involved in a car accident with an emergency vehicle, you may face a greater chance of losing your life. You must consider that these vehicles are not only heavier, they also may be traveling at a higher than normal rate of speed, which can only make any injuries caused more severe.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been collecting data about crashes involving these large emergency vehicles for 20 years, and the results show the danger. For every 29 crashes where an emergency vehicle was involved, there were an average of 33 deaths. The deaths were distributed by about 63% of people who were riding in passenger cars at the time of the wreck, and about 21% of people who were being transported in an ambulance. The emergency vehicles were in the process of responding to an emergency call in 60% of those crashes.

If You Have Been Injured by an Emergency Vehicle

No matter how awed you may feel about the tireless and thankless work that these emergency responders do, you have the right to travel the roadways in safety and without undue fear of these big rigs. The drivers may be skilled, but they must take care not to cause accidents while they are speeding to respond or rescue. If you have suffered from a injury caused by an emergency vehicle, speak to a personal injury attorney right away. You may be entitled to money damages as a result.

Visit a website like http://www.truelawky.com to learn more.

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