First Responders Receive Training on New Cars at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

What Happened

At the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Ruckersville, Virginia (VA) crash tests gave first responders experience with assisting victims of car crashes in new cars with new safety technology. The tests allowed emergency personnel from Fairfax and Arlington to experience an accident firsthand and knowledge of what to do and how careful they need to be during a rescue. The day even gave the emergency personnel the chance to do a rescue mission by cutting and tearing apart a car with new technology to simulate a real response to a crash. The demonstration also involved setting off airbags to show the crews how fast and strong an airbag is deployed. This gave the emergency personnel an idea of what could happen if they were inside a wrecked vehicle with an airbag that didn’t deploy. The event gave the emergency personnel valuable training that they would have otherwise not received until they were out on a call responding to an actual accident.

Here is a news video about the first responder training.

 

The Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers’ Perspective

This was an excellent way to give first responders valuable experience to use when rescuing victims of car accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2011, 32,367 people lost their lives on America’s roadways in motor vehicle crashes. The Virginia DMV statistics shows the state had 120,513 traffic crashes reported that led to 63,382 people injured and 764 deaths. A surprising number of those accidents are from right here locally, roughly 20 percent of the states accidents took place in Hampton Roads equaling to an auto accident every 23 minutes. With more training provided like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offered today, we can hope to reduce the number of deaths on Virginia roadways.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an auto accident we strongly urge you to contact a Virginia (VA) personal injury lawyer. At our firm we are dedicated to protecting your best interests and handling your case with compassion and commitment. In 2008 our firm represented a husband and wife that were struck head on by a police officer. During a pretrial investigation we found that one year prior to the accident, the defendant police officer had been diagnosed with sleep apnea and had been noncompliant with his doctor’s recommendation for treatment. The case was settled in mediation shortly before the scheduled trial and our clients received $1.5 million in restitution.

Potentially Helpful Info:

Our firm published an in-depth legal guide on what to do when you’re seriously injured in a car wreck in Virginia. Read it here.

Have Questions?

Read these FAQs discussing why you should obtain legal counsel when you are the victim in a traffic accident.

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