Austin, TX — There was an accident early Tuesday morning (November 17, 2015) along I-35 that left two people injured. Police didn’t release a lot of details, but they said that a privately-owned ambulance and another car crashed along I-35 near the intersection with Wells Branch Parkway.
This was around 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning, they said.
The details of what happened, exactly, haven’t been released yet, but it looks like two people in the other car were injured and taken to a hospital, It’s not clear how badly they were hurt, but we do know that the ambulance driver was able to take himself to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
“Acadian Ambulance” was listed as the company that owned the ambulance.
Map of the Accident Area
Commentary:
If you ask some folks, an accident with an ambulance is handled through an insurance claim, just the same as any other car wreck. But others might tell you that “sovereign immunity” ensures that ambulances are protected from all legal action. In reality, they’re both wrong. The Texas Tort Claims Act does allow claims to be filed against county-owned vehicles like ambulances, but they are subjected to limitations set forth by the state.
However, this appears to be a privately-owned ambulance service, so in legal terms, they may just be considered another commercial transportation company. In that case, “sovereign immunity” doesn’t apply to them and they are susceptible the same types of negligence-based claims as anyone else on the road. Of course, I don’t know what really happened here or who was at fault, but this is how the law works in Texas.
— Grossman Law Offices
