When an emergency vehicle causes a crash, victims face an uphill battle due to complex laws protecting government employees. Our client was a passenger in an SUV, legally proceeding through a residential intersection in Detroit, when a municipal fire truck slammed into the vehicle’s passenger side. The violent collision caused our client to suffer a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) with lasting cognitive effects.
The fire truck driver and the municipality immediately denied fault, claiming the truck’s lights and sirens were activated. They attempted to use the strong defense of governmental immunity to avoid all responsibility. Our firm refused to accept this narrative.
Our aggressive investigation uncovered the truth. We canvassed the neighborhood and located two independent eyewitnesses who provided sworn testimony. They confirmed the fire truck did not have its lights or sirens on and, critically, failed to slow down or stop for the stop sign at the intersection. Armed with this powerful evidence, our legal team dismantled the governmental immunity defense.
We proved that the special protections for emergency vehicles do not apply when the driver acts with negligence. As a result, we secured a $1,350,000 settlement to compensate our client for her pain, suffering, and the long-term consequences of her brain injury. Additionally, in a separate no-fault lawsuit, we forced Allstate Insurance Company to pay for all of her related medical care, attendant care, and household services.