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 On a quiet Wednesday in September 2024, the rhythm of a bbq fun neighborhood was shattered. An ambulance—lights on, sirens screaming—blew through the intersection at Adams and Whitaker. Moments later, twisted metal. A crushed car. Two people injured. One of them clinging to life.

The details that followed were hazy. No one knew for sure if a patient was on board. But for those of us who deal in accountability, what mattered more was the question beneath the wreckage:

Who’s to blame when the rescuers become the cause?

Ambulances aren’t just vehicles—they’re rolling emergency rooms, often flying through intersections in the kind of chaos most of us only see in disaster movies. But with that urgency comes a legal double-edged sword. These vehicles operate under special exemptions from the rules of the road. They can run red lights. They can speed. They can even weave through traffic.

But here’s the catch: they can’t be reckless and it must be an emergency.

While thew above is from Penn., most states, including Arkansas, grant emergency vehicles limited immunity under the law. The logic is sound: saving lives sometimes means breaking rules. But immunity isn’t a free pass. The law makes one thing clear—ambulance drivers must operate with “due regard” for the safety of others. When they don’t, that shield cracks.

And when it does, someone caused needless harm and must answer.

I often imagine this: an ambulance barrels down a busy road, sirens silent, no lights flashing. It's speeding—twenty miles over the limit. Suddenly it swerves into the opposite lane to pass traffic and collides head-on with another car.

That’s not an act of heroism. That’s negligence.

In the eyes of the law, the moment an emergency driver operates outside the bounds of reason, they can be held accountable. So can their employer. Whether it’s a private EMS company or a municipal agency, both may be on the hook—especially if the driver was poorly trained, improperly supervised, or had a history of reckless behavior ignored by their bosses.

Patients riding in the back of an ambulance often have their own emergencies. Their own trauma. Their own silent prayers. When a crash occurs, they’re not just bystanders—they’re vulnerable human beings placed in the hands of professionals. If that trust is broken by reckless conduct, the patient may have a claim, too. And often, those claims are some of the most devastating.

Not every ambulance crash is cut-and-dried. Arkansas, like many states, uses comparative negligence to sort through the chaos. That means more than one party can share the blame. A civilian driver who fails to yield might be partially liable. But if the ambulance was speeding without sirens or ignoring traffic control devices, the law may say the greater fault lies with them.

This isn’t a theoretical game—it affects how much compensation a victim can recover. Every percentage point of blame matters.

When a city or county ambulance causes a crash, things get trickier. Government entities have protections that private companies don’t. Miss the filing deadline or fail to send a notice of claim? Your entire case could vanish. That’s why, in these cases, having a lawyer who knows the terrain isn’t a luxury—it’s survival.

If you or someone you love is involved in a crash with an ambulance, the steps you take matter:

• Call 911 – Even if the ambulance was on duty, a separate police report helps preserve your version of events.
   
• Document Everything – Photos. Videos. Names of witnesses. The make and model of the ambulance. It all matters.
   
• Get Medical Help – Some injuries don’t show up for hours or days. Don’t wait.
   
• Talk to an Attorney – Emergency vehicle cases are different. Complex. Technical. You need someone who’s handled them before.
   

No one wants to point fingers at first responders. But when negligence leads to injury or death, accountability isn’t just fair—it’s necessary. Ambulances save lives. But when used recklessly, they destroy them too.

At Iron Rock Law Firm, we understand the emotional and legal complexity behind these cases. We don’t just file paperwork. We investigate. We reconstruct. We cross-examine. And we fight for the people left behind in the aftermath.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a collision involving an ambulance, don’t wait for the system to offer you scraps. Demand the truth. And if the law is on your side, demand justice.

Contact The Villari Law Firm today for a free, confidential consultation. We’ll tell you what the insurance company won’t—and we’ll help you hold the right people accountable.