Police / Firefighter Injury on Duty FAQ

The most common causes of injury are:

• Police cruiser accidents
• Road details
• Directing traffic
• Stolen motor vehicle chases
• Foot pursuits
• People resisting arrest
• Dog bites
• Animal attacks
• Slip and fall incidents
• Snow and ice incidents
• Wrongful death

The most common type of police office injuries include:

• Concussions and brain injuries
• Burns, fractures, scarring, cuts, and lacerations
• Head, dental, knee, spinal, neck, and shoulder injuries
• Nerve and muscle damage
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Strains and sprains
• Soft tissue and back injuries

According to our police injury on duty lawyers, claims for compensation for police injury on duty include:

• Medical and hospital expenses
• Loss of detail and overtime wages
• Future loss of detail and overtime wages
• Pain, injuries, and distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Rehabilitation expenses

The most prevalent type of injury for on duty firefighters is  sprain, strain and muscular pain; and the leading cause was overexertion or strain from falls, jumps, slips or heavy lifting.

• Direct contact with fire.
• Direct contact with and handling of hazardous chemicals.
• Encountering excessive heat and smoke.
• Responding to and from incident.
• Repetitive need to lift significant amounts of weight.

Firefighters are more likely to be injured during fireground operations than any other type of duties. 

They can also occur at non-fire emergency incidents, other on-duty activities, training activities or while responding to or returning from an incident

Additionally, a majority of fire-related firefighter injuries were associated with structural fires.

Firefighters can make personal injury claims for their pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost overtime pay, scarring and diminished earning capacity when injured on duty.  

Additionally, claims for negligence in  situations resulting in injury can be made such as:

1. Alarm Condition Creation: Firefighters can make claims against individuals or businesses whose actions led to the creation of an alarm condition. This could include scenarios where hazardous materials were mishandled or improper safety protocols were followed, resulting in an increased risk for firefighters.

2. Interference with Response: Claims can also be made against parties that interfered with the firefighters' response to an alarm condition.  Including hit and run accidents as well as dog bites / animal attacks.

3. Property Maintenance Negligence: Firefighters may pursue claims against individuals or businesses that negligently maintained properties. This includes cases where poorly maintained structures or faulty equipment caused injuries to firefighters during their operations.