Tampa Injury News

Fill out the form
to speak to an
Injury Lawyer Now.

Crash Highlights Emergency Vehicle Drivers' Dangers

August 17, 2005

A crash in Century involving a volunteer fire department truck drives home the point that emergency workers want to convey to motorists: Move over. It's the law. Although only minor injuries were reported in the crash, it had hallmarks of what makes it tough on emergency vehicle drivers.

Sgt. Terry McCormick, who investigated the crash for the Florida Highway Patrol, said the accident occurred on the crest of a hill in an area where it's difficult to get entirely off the roadway. The fire truck with four firefighters on board was westbound on County Road 4 with lights and sirens activated on the way to another crash. A westbound vehicle just ahead of the truck started pulling out of the way but was only partly off the road when fire truck driver Eric W. Gilmore of Century tried to pass on the left. Gilmore then swerved back to the right to avoid another vehicle but overcorrected, causing the truck to topple, McCormick said.

Les Slocum, chief of the Holley-Navarre Fire District, has been involved in many near-collisions. A driver failed to move off the road, or moved off in the wrong direction, or slammed on the brakes. 'Part of the problem seems to be that people forget that they are supposed to pull to the right,' Slocum said. 'They go every which way. That's bad because we don't know which way to go to avoid them. And other times, they just ignore you.'

Getting the public to follow the Florida law that requires motorists to pull over and stop when an emergency vehicle is approaching with lights on or sirens blaring is difficult, said Susie Whitfield, shift supervisor for Escambia County emergency medical services. 'We have a lot more traffic in Pensacola right now, and people do not get out of our way,' she said.

Increased traffic on area roads since Hurricane Ivan struck in September has worsened what has always been a dangerous fact of life for emergency responders, said Larry McCurry, an Escambia County paramedic. 'It hurts our ability to really concentrate on what we're doing as far as taking care of patients,' he said. 'If somebody pulls out or slams on their brakes, we get tossed around back there.' Milton fire Chief John E. Reble believes more public education is needed to make people understand that the law requires motorists to pull over and stop. 'A lot of times people pull over, but they don't stop,' he said. 'We drive incredibly defensively to avoid problems, but it hampers response time.'