The failure to yield to emergency vehicles is a costly mistake in Creek County. A Keaton, Ohio EMT is dead and another is fighting critical injuries after a vehicle collided with an ambulance. The ambulance, with lights and sirens on, was broad-sided by a vehicle which was a failure to yield on part of the civilian driver. The driver of the ambulance died at the scene. The other EMT ejected from the vehicle during the crash and received life-flight to a nearby hospital. The driver of the other vehicle had minor injuries.
Failure to Yield to Emergency Vehicles
Oklahoma law, like most states, has a clause that gives emergency vehicles that are on-duty the right of way in traffic. You can find it under Title 37 §11-405. As a result, when an emergency vehicle has lights, sirens, and other emergency signals on you must move out of their way. This can be fire engines, ambulances, patrol cars etc.
If you are driving and see an emergency vehicle approach, you should pull as far as you can to the right side of the road and stop. Once the vehicle passes, you may resume driving. Further, if you are in an intersection you should first clear the intersection and then pull over. However, if you see an emergency vehicle attending to a scene on the side of the road, you do not stop. Instead, move to the lane farthest from the emergency vehicle and slow to appropriate speeds for safety.
OUR PERSONAL INJURY ARTICLES MAY BE HELPFUL TO YOU AS WELL.
Failure to Yield and the Penalties
Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle is dangerous and can lead to fines and a criminal record that you may need to expunge at a later date. You are subject to an array of different traffic tickets. As a result, you may pay fines reaching in the thousands. It is common that you will receive an extra fine of $1,000 due to the other vehicle being an emergency vehicle. Some of the general tickets are:
- Inattentive driving
- Careless driving
- Reckless driving
In the event that your failure to yield results in an accident with injury or fatality, your penalties will greatly increase. Further, you will be subject to possible civil litigation from the victims of the accident. This means you may have to pay their medical expenses and other pain and suffering costs.
Creek County Attorneys Can Help
We know that a failure to yield to emergency vehicles is rarely intentional. If you are facing tickets and fines regarding this type of traffic violation, call our law office. Your first consultation is free.
