Houston FD Response Investigated in Incident of Mom Backing Over Child

Our Houston accident lawyers wrote recently about an accident in the 23300 block of Cumberland Oak Court. A 4-year-old girl had run directly behind the Ford Expedition that her mother was backing out of the driveway. News accounts of the accident told that the child received transport by LifeFlight to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

News updates indicate that Houston City Council member Mike Sullivan is asking questions about the emergency response to the Cumberland Oak Court driveway accident. Mr. Sullivan states, however, that whatever the emergency response to the incident had been, he believes the fatal outcome of the tragic Cumberland Oak Court driveway accident would have remained the same.

But his questions have helped to set off a chain of questions within the Houston Fire Department, which has launched its own internal investigation of the emergency response. A Fire Department spokesperson indicates that there may have been some irregularities in this emergency response, but the Department can’t elaborate while the investigation is in progress.

At issue, according to Mike Sullivan, is the practice of initially dispatching fire trucks to medical emergencies instead of ambulances. The practice apparently derives from data showing that less than 50% of emergency calls actually require an ambulance.

But Mike Sullivan contends that past data can’t be allowed to dictate future responses to accidents. He maintains that in medical emergencies, ambulances should be dispatched too, even if fire trucks are closer. Part of his concern relates to the danger of tying up fire trucks at medical calls when they might be needed for fire emergencies.

Houston accident lawyers recognize that each emergency has unique needs. Balancing safety concerns with departmental efficiencies isn’t always easy. When you or your child have been injured or when you’re facing a fire outbreak, you want the assurance that you will receive the best possible care to address the emergency.

Both fire trucks and ambulances are in limited supply in Houston as elsewhere, so tying up two vehicles on each dispatch probably does not present the best solution to the problem. Our Houston accident lawyers believe that perhaps the current internal inquiry can help refine the emergency dispatch process to better meet the safety and medical emergency response needs of everyone.