Who is At Fault for a Fire Truck Accident?

Car accidents in general can be incredibly frightening. Accidents involving larger vehicles like fire trucks could be even worse. Thorough knowledge of road rules and defensive driving habits are essential to prevent such collisions.

Because they are emergency vehicles, fire trucks are also protected from lawsuits in case of accidents that happen en route to a fire. If you were injured in a car accident with a fire truck, contact a Tifton accident attorney for help filing a claim.

It’s important to keep in mind that fire trucks don’t have to follow standard traffic laws during an emergency. Their biggest priority is getting to the scene of a fire. Emergency vehicles always have the right of way.

If you see flashing emergency lights in your rearview mirror, safely move over to the right side of the road. If you are on a multi-lane road, move out of the lane the fire truck is using. Do not stop in the middle of the road. Instead, slow down after you pull over and stay out of the way until the emergency vehicle has passed. Keep in mind there may be multiple vehicles coming.

Heavy traffic may make pulling over difficult. Stay in your lane and slow down until you are able to move out of the way. If traffic does not give you space to pull over, do your best to stay out of the way.

If you are at an intersection, it doesn’t matter which vehicle arrived first. The firetruck always has the right of way. Allow the emergency vehicle to safely clear the intersection before you try to pass through yourself, but do not stop in the middle of the intersection.

Of course, things change if the fire truck was not on its way to the scene of an emergency. If sirens and flashing lights are off, the fire truck must follow regular traffic laws and you don’t have to pull over and allow a fire truck to pass.