Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog
Chicago saw three accidents with fire trucks in as many days in November, according to NBC Chicago. In a Nov. 8 accident, a woman drove her car into the side of a fire truck at around 10 a.m.; she told authorities that she couldn’t tell where the siren was coming from, although a spokesman for the Fire Department said other traffic at the intersection was stopped. On Nov. 6, another woman failed to yield to a fire truck, causing the truck to hit her car and then a building.
In the third accident, on Nov. 7, a man ran a stop sign into the path of a fire truck. The impact pushed the man’s car into a pole and two parked cars. The man was not badly hurt, but has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Fortunately, only one firefighter was hurt in the three accidents, on Nov. 6; firefighters even stopped and gave first aid to the man who ran the stop sign.
As a Chicago auto accident lawyer, I have worked with many clients who needed help from emergency medical technicians right after their accidents. Sometimes, that help has made the difference for them — but time is important. You can help by pulling to the side of the road for emergency vehicles whenever possible, or staying put when you’re stopped at an intersection with two-way traffic, even when you have a green light. That said, I also know that emergency vehicles sometimes fail to use their lights and sirens when they should. When that’s the case, innocent drivers who hapen to be nearby can be hurt.
Our firm has had a Chicago auto accident case where our client was hit by a fire truck that was on an emergency call where the firefighter failed to activate lights and sirens. The plaintiff was riding as a passenger and was badly injured when the fire truck ran a red light. The defendant municipality initially denied the claim, but there were independent witnesses to the accident, and we were eventually able to prevail for our client.
If you’ve been involved in an auto accident in the Chicagoland area and would like to discuss your legal options with an experienced Illinois car crash attorney, please contact Abels & Annes as soon as possible.