Your Lawyer For EMT Injuries In South Carolina

First responders, whether police officers, firefighters, emergency room nurses and nursing assistants, as well as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are some of our most valuable members of our community but also at high risk of on the job injuries.  Paramedics in particular are at an increased risk of being hurt on the job through a variety of every day work activities whether that be assisting injured people at the site of an accident, transporting patients, driving through traffic often at a high rate of speed while navigating other drivers, many of whom are not paying attention to the road, or even performing routine activities such as drills, training, or even washing their ambulances.

The most common types of injuries among emergency technicians include the following;

Body motion injuries.  EMTs are constantly asked to move, bend, bend and contort their bodies in ways that are conducive to injuries to the neck, spine, and shoulders.  Most of the time these injuries are less serious in the form of strains and minor muscle tears but they can also result in major injuries such as herniated disks and torn tendons.

Exposure injuries.  Paramedics are routinely exposed to foreign substances such as blood, needles, chemicals, smoke, and other inhalants that can cause injury.  Additionally, they can often be infected by airborne illnesses through patients' saliva, coughing, or sneezing.

Slips and falls.  Moving as quickly as they can to assist injury victims often causes injury through slips, trips, and falls.  Rough terrain, rainy or icy conditions, and climbing up and down out of their truck causes first responders to suffer a variety of falling injuries.  Like motion injuries, most are routine and non-severe in nature but all too often they can also result in broken bones, severe sprains, and spinal injuries.

Motor vehicle accidents.  Although EMTs are trained professional drivers, not everyone on the road is and accidents do happen.  Oftentimes emergency workers are unsecured in the back of their vehicle when crashes occur exposing them to significant injuries inside their truck.  Assault and violent behavior.  While the great majority of people love and respect our first responders, they unfortunately have to deal with many others who are either violent or uncooperative.  Trying to lift or restrain a person who will not be still or behave can result in a variety of injuries.