One of the first things you learn during driving school is that if you hear the sirens of an emergency vehicle, you’re required to safely switch to the right lane and stop until it drives past.
Everyone understands that when an emergency vehicle’s sirens are blaring, they’re trying to respond to a potentially, life-threatening situation. Emergency vehicles have the right to circumvent normal traffic laws, such as run red lights or ride in the High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes, but sometimes there are unfortunate scenarios where innocent bystanders were hurt.
Recently, a family filed a negligence lawsuit against a firefighter and the City of Mississauga, Ont., for a crash that killed a woman when her car was crushed by a fire truck. The firefighter was responding to an emergency at a shopping centre, when it ran a red light and struck the woman’s vehicle. The firefighter was found not guilty for running the red light, according to Mississauga News, but her family is not satisfied. The lawsuit alleges that the firefighter was driving too fast, did not keep a proper lookout and was an incompetent driver in that situation. The firefighter and the city filed a defence that claims that the female driver was negligent.
The family of a young girl who was killed by an unmarked police car in the York Region in mid February have questions. She was struck by an on duty York Regional Police vehicle after she got off the bus and crossed an intersection. She was pronounced dead at the scene and the Special Investigations Unit is investigating the incident.
Only three days after that incident, a five-year-old boy was killed in Longueuil, Que., when the family’s car was hit by an unmarked police cruiser at an intersection. The boy was taken to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, but did not survive. The Montreal Police are investigating since the crash involved a provincial officer.
Meanwhile, a young Alberta boy lost a brother and was left disfigured and life-long disabilities after he was involved in a motor vehicle collision with an unmarked police car. The cruiser was tailing some vehicles and didn’t have its sirens on. The police car was speeding through the intersection when it hit the family’s car, which was attempting to make a left turn. The family was able to settle its multimillion dollar lawsuit before it went to trial which named members of the Edmonton Police Force, the City of Edmonton, the boy’s grandfather and Ford Motor Co. as defendants.
If you are involved in a motor vehicle collision with an emergency vehicle, it’s important to treat it as you would an automobile accident. It’s important to remain calm, ensure that everyone in the vehicle is safe, exchange information with the other driver, photograph and document the incident, file an accident report and learn the details of what your insurance covers. If the crash is with a police officer, a Special Investigations Unit will also be a part of the investigation.
Motor vehicle accidents happen and accident benefits are available to anyone involved in a motor vehicle accident regardless of who caused the accident. The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been dealing with all accident related issues throughout Ontario for over 45 years. We know how to get you the compensation that you deserve and get your life back in order after being in a car accident. Call us at 416-920-4242, set up a free consultation, and come speak with us.