A road accident involving emergency services is unfortunately not uncommon due to the speed and environment in which the vehicles need to travel in. Quite often, these environments are where other road users such as cycles, drivers and also pedestrians travel through.
Emergency services have a duty of care to road users as well as pedestrians which continues to extend when responding to an emergency call out.
If you have been in a road accident involving emergency services then there is a likelihood of there to be have been a breach of duty of care. This may give rise for you to be able to make an emergency services claim for your injury and any losses incurred.
The simple answer is no. The emergency services, including Ambulances, Police vehicles and Fire Engines must abide by the same Highway Code as other road user although exceptions apply when responding to an emergency service.
If you have been involved in a traffic light collision with an emergency service vehicle, it is important to asses whether the flashing lights were operative at the time of the vehicle travelling through a red light and causing a collision. If the flashing lights were not present, then the emergency services ought to given attention to the traffic lights and abided with the Highway Code.
The emergency services must abide by speed limits unless they are responding to an emergency. However the driver must still drive at a speed in a controlled manner.
At all times they must maintain safety whilst on the road, regardless of an emergency or not to avoid road accidents and in turn avoiding an emergency service claim.
If an emergency vehicle is responding to an incident they must ensure they let other road users aware of this. They must have the warning lights flashing and / or sirens on. However if they fail to do this and an accident happens then they may be liable for the accident and you may be able to make an emergency services claim for compensation.
As a road user you have a duty of care to be aware of other road users. If an emergency vehicle is responding to an incident it is your responsibility to remove yourself from the path of the vehicle safely to allow them to proceed past.
If you don’t allow the vehicle to pass when it is possible and safe to do so which results in an accident then you may be found to have contributed to that accident. This may affect your emergency services claim as you may be found to be a contributory factor.
Each case is different and will be assessed on individual circumstances. Employers have a duty of care whilst the employee is working to ensure a safe working environment.
Passengers travelling in emergency service vehicles may also be able to make an emergency services claim if injured in an accident; this can include individuals also.
When you are involved in a road accident involving emergency services the same process applies if the accident is not with an emergency service.
If you or anyone else is injured in an accident with the emergency services, you should seek medical attention as soon as you can. If the injury is serious then call for an emergency service ambulance.
Police must also be called to attend the scene and assess the situation and write a report.
This will help to validate your claim for compensation. If possible get details of people involved and the names and addresses of any witnesses.
Make a note of date, time, location, weather conditions and as many other details surrounding the accident as you can. Get this information sooner rather than later as you may forget something important later on which may affect your claim.
Yes you can make a claim for a road accident involving emergency services in the simple answer.
The emergency services claim process can be quite relatively straightforward depending on the extent of your injuries although complex claims involving bone injury or spinal injury can take a longer to settle. Whiplash injuries are usually settled fairly quickly.
Consulting a solicitor will help to not only speed up the process but ensure that you are properly awarded the right amount of compensation that you deserve.
Some insurers may contact you directly in hope of making a settlement offer. This is to avoid you going to a solicitor because it saves insurer’s costs in potentially awarding you less money than your claim is worth. If you are contacted by an insurer, you should not accept any offer until you have spoken with a solicitor for accidents involving emergency services.
When there are serious injuries negotiations may take longer to finalise. Your solicitor may be able to agree interim payments. These will assist with any medical treatment costs or other costs like travel to avoid you getting into financial difficulty.
With our no win no fee service , you be at peace of mind knowing that we take away your stress and worry by fighting your case for you. We do all this whilst bearing the risk of running of claim in exchange for a small percentage from successfully recovered compensation.
To find more or see how we can help regarding your compensation claim involving emergency services then why not give us a call on 0330 053 7117 or let us call you back.
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