Marion County Fire Rescue reminds drivers to move to the side of he road when you see an emergency vehicle. Not only is it the law, this practice also helps keep drivers themselves, the patients MCFR transports and crew members safe.
On Monday, MCFR ambulance R531 was hit by a citizen motorist at the intersection of Southwest Highway 200 and Southwest 90th St. Neither MCFR crew members nor the patient they were transporting incurred any injuries from the crash.
This is the second time in less than a week that a motorist has hit a MCFR ambulance, and not all involved in the first incident were unharmed. On Friday, Jan. 23, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a Marion Oaks MCFR Station 24 crewmember was badly injured after a citizen motorist T-boned an ambulance (R24) at the intersection of Pine Avenue and 10th Street, causing the vehicle to roll over onto the driver’s side. This accident sent a badly-injured
MCFR firefighter/EMT to the hospital, and delayed the transport of the patient who was in the back of the ambulance, who did not incur any additional injuries or complications from the crash.
In addition to the above incidents, MCFR rescues have been struck by drivers four other times since January 2014, and have had several documented close calls during the same timeframe.
“When drivers don’t yield – or move out of the emergency vehicle’s way when they hear the sirens and see lights – they are endangering themselves, our crew members and any patients that we may be in the process of helping,” said Marion County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Paul Nevels.
Florida Statute 316.126 – commonly referred to as the “Move Over” law — requires drivers to “yield the right-of-way to the emergency vehicle and immediately proceed to a position parallel to, and as close as reasonable to the closest edge of the curb of the roadway, clear of any intersection and shall stop and remain in position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed.”
The “Move Over” law also attempts to keep first responders and other public safety servants who are parked on the side of the road safe by requiring drivers to, “vacate the lane closest to the emergency vehicle … when driving on an interstate highway or other highway with two or more lanes traveling in the direction of the emergency vehicle.” If a driver can’t accomplish this lane change safely, the law instructs the driver to reduce their speed to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit.
