Texas Accident & Injury News
Do you know how to properly yield to an emergency vehicle?
Off-duty Constable Working a Lane Closure Struck by 18-Wheeler, Hospitalized in Critical Condition
According to a KSAT News report, a Bexar County constable was critically injured in an 18-wheeler accident last week.
Police reported that the accident happened at around 3 a.m. Wednesday, April 9th, on I-35 between O’Connor Road and Crosswinds Way. An off-duty constable was parked with his emergency lights on while working a lane closure along the highway. His vehicle was struck by an Amazon 18-wheeler, and the constable was critically injured and transported to the hospital. An on-scene evaluation found that the driver of the 18-wheeler was not intoxicated. The injured deputy constable has been with the Precinct 1 Constable’s Office’s support unit for more than 15 years.
Did You Know?
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of injury and death for police officers across the United States.
How to Properly Yield to Emergency Vehicles in Texas
Officers and emergency personnel across Texas are regularly injured and killed due to drivers’ failure to yield the right of way to emergency vehicles.
The TxDOT, which tracks accident causes across the state from year to year, found that in 2023:
- 591 crashes were caused by failure to yield ROW to an emergency vehicle,
- 362 crashes were caused by failure to move over or slow down for a vehicle displaying emergency lights.
Of these crashes, 3 were fatal, and 362 involved at least a minor injury.
A change to the “Move Over or Slow Down” law in September of 2023 has increased the penalties for drivers who violate it–now, drivers can be fined up to $4,000 and face possible jail time depending on the severity of the offense.
Yielding to an Emergency Vehicle
All drivers in Texas are required to yield to emergency vehicles if they are displaying lights, sirens, or both unless otherwise directed by a traffic officer. To properly yield to an emergency vehicle, the driver must:
- Yield ROW: If in an intersection or approaching an intersection, even if you have the ROW.
- Pull to the Right: If the emergency vehicle is behind you, you must immediately pull as far to the right as you can.
- Remain Stopped: Until the emergency vehicle has fully passed you.
Failure to follow these rules can result in fines and other penalties, especially if it results in an accident or injury.
Move Over or Slow Down Laws
This law is designed to protect road workers and emergency personnel from traffic accidents while on the side of the road, where they are extremely vulnerable to injury. If any of the following vehicles are displaying emergency lights, they are covered under this law:
- Law enforcement
- Authorized emergency vehicles
- Ambulances
- Firetrucks
- First responders
- Utility service vehicles
- Stationary tow trucks
- TxDOT vehicles
- Any highway maintenance vehicle.
According to this law, if any of these vehicles are on the side of the road and displaying emergency lights, drivers must:
- Move Over — putting a full lane between them and the vehicle.
- Slow Down — If moving over isn’t possible, drivers must slow to 20 mph below the speed limit (or 5 mph on roadways with posted speed limits of 25 mph or less).
If a traffic officer directs you otherwise, you must obey the directions of the traffic officer.
Duty of Care
Officers and other emergency personnel are required to follow a reasonable duty of care when responding to an emergency. This means that just because they’re responding to an emergency doesn’t mean they can recklessly put lives at risk.
If you were injured in an accident caused by an emergency vehicle, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Injured by an Emergency Vehicle in Texas? Call Shaw!
If you were injured by an emergency vehicle in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you could be entitled to compensation for things like:
- Medical Bills,
- ER Treatment,
- Property Damage,
- Missed Work,
- Pain and Suffering,
- Mental Anguish,
- And More.
We’ll help you find out if you have a case for free.
Call Shaw at 800-862-1260 today to schedule your free case evaluation with an experienced car accident attorney. There are no fees and no obligations attached, just the expert legal advice you need. Carabin Shaw has been a trusted name in San Antonio and across Texas for over 32 years because we put our clients first. We look forward to serving you.