Failing to Secure Wheelchair Passengers Inside of Ambulettes Injury Lawyers in Rochester, New York

The Elite Personal Injury Attorneys of the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. are Proud to Fight for the Legal Rights of People in Rochester, New York, Throughout Niagara County, and Beyond. Jed Dietrich, Esq. Promises to Aggressively Litigate to Obtain the Best Result for Injuries Caused by an Ambulette Driver’s Failure to Fasten Your Wheelchair.

Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death throughout the United States. According to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), in a recent year alone, there were 13,526 crashes in Monroe County. That is an average of 37 car accidents every day. Wheelchair users who depend on ambulettes and other transportation services for travel are particularly susceptible to devastating injuries and fatalities in collisions. In many cases, wheelchair users can suffer catastrophic injuries during transport without a crash ever even occurring. Harms due to drivers making sudden stops, sharp turns, or accelerating too quickly are much more prevalent than you would think. A recent study revealed that approximately 25 percent of wheelchair users sustained at least one injury during transportation within the past 3 years. This was to a large extent because of being inadequately secured inside transport vehicles.

Many individuals who use wheelchairs are already dealing with various health problems and disabilities. Unfortunately, this can make ambulette passengers extremely vulnerable to getting hurt. When a driver neglects to fasten a passenger or their chair in place, an accident can easily cause their wheelchair to flip over. Consequently, passengers may suffer injuries, such as crushed limbs, broken tail bones, internal bleeding, and blunt-force head trauma, when their wheelchairs are not properly strapped in place. It is the responsibility of ambulette services and their drivers to provide safe and reliable transportation to all passengers. When the actions of careless attendants result in tragic injuries, wheelchair users’ lives can be turned upside down.

In situations where elderly and more delicate passengers are violently thrown from their wheelchairs, they face considerable risks of suffering deadly complications. Additionally, many wheelchair users whose chairs tip or flip agonize over further life-altering disabilities, permanent disfigurement, excruciating pain, and colossal financial difficulties. Consequently, even when passengers are fortunate enough to survive, they often endure significant decreases in their quality of life. These disheartening calamities inspire Jed Dietrich, Esq. to provide the highest level of personal injury representation to accident victims every day. The Dietrich Law Firm P.C.’s battle-tested Rochester, New York personal injury attorneys will do whatever it takes to ensure those responsible for your injuries are held accountable. We want to help you get back on your feet as quickly as possible and ensure that you have adequate funds for treatment, rehab, and recovery. You can rest assured that the Dietrich Law Firm P.C.’s highly experienced team is here to support you in restoring everything that you have lost. Our excellent attorneys are available for your free, no-obligation case screening 24 hours per day and 7 days per week by dialing (585) 939-3939 or by filling out the online consultation form.

Since many wheelchair users must depend entirely on ambulettes and other non-emergency medical transportation companies to travel to and from places such as shopping centers, churches, and doctor checkups, they are forced to place their trust in the hands of the attendants. All too often, the lives of unsuspecting passengers are put in danger because of the improper strapping of wheelchair tie-downs. Some factors that tend to contribute to wheelchair users’ injuries inside ambulettes include:

1. Lack of proper training by wheelchair transportation companies;
2. Inexperienced, fatigued, or complacent drivers and staff;
3. Failing to properly secure passengers’ wheelchairs to the floor using the wheelchair tie-down and occupant restraint system (WTORS);
4. Neglecting to buckle a passenger’s lap belt or shoulder harness;
5. Miscommunication between ambulette attendants;
6. Unstrapping or unbuckling passengers before safely stopping at their destinations;
7. Improper inspections, servicing, or repair of wheelchair tie-downs and occupant restraint systems;
8. Defective lap or shoulder belts;
9. Faulty wheelchair restraint systems; and
10. Careless ambulette drivers.

When an ambulette driver slams on the brakes or makes a sharp turn, even passengers that are properly strapped into their wheelchairs can suffer injuries from the abrupt jolt. Not to mention, unsecured passengers can easily be flung from their wheelchairs or thrown into the other passengers.

By hiring the Dietrich Law Firm P.C.’s highly professional attorneys, you are placing your trust in the best of the best litigators. First, we will immediately file a lawsuit to protect your legal right to compensation. Then, our elite team of investigators will launch a highly intensive investigation to methodically securitize all of the circumstances that led to your accident. The most crucial aspect of demonstrating liability is to show that the ambulette driver was negligent in the performance of their duties and that negligence caused you to suffer injuries. For instance, an attendant carelessly hooked manual strap tie-downs to your wheelchair but neglected to adjust the excess tension of the straps. Consequently, your chair flips over when the ambulette driver makes a sudden stop, and you suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), broken neck, and multiple other injuries. In this case, our battle-tested lawyers would easily be able to show that the attendant’s failure to adequately secure your wheelchair breached their duty of care.

To accurately determine what went wrong, we will depose the owner of the ambulette service, supervisors, and attendants on the company’s wheelchair restraint protocols. We can also uncover critical details from other passengers who were inside the van at the time of your accident. Afterward, the Dietrich Legal Team’s seasoned attorneys will have our renowned wheelchair transportation experts analyze a multitude of other factors that could have contributed to your accident, such as company-wide hiring practices, employee training programs, traffic tickets, maintenance and repair records, transit logbooks, and other complaints of passenger injuries.

At the Dietrich Law Firm P.C., our veteran attorneys firmly believe that no one should have to suffer the consequences of an ambulette driver neglecting to fasten their wheelchair in place. Having our highly qualified litigators pursue your unfastened wheelchair injury claim could make a substantial difference in your case. Jed Dietrich, Esq. believes that no passengers should ever be injured by an ambulette attendant’s negligence or lack of judgment. Insurance companies and irresponsible companies have paid Jed Dietrich, Esq. well over $175 million to resolve his client’s lawsuits. Please contact the Dietrich Law Firm P.C.’s leading lawyers, now at (585) 939-3939, so that we can help you! Our top rated team works on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you will never be asked to pay a penny until you are compensated for your injuries.

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at (585) 939-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Rochester, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!