In 2021, Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported that there were almost 400,000 crashes that took place across the state of Florida. These included car crashes, large trucks, motorcycles, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents. Out of all the crashes that took place that year, 3,337 crashes were fatal with 3,629 lives lost. There were 251,460 people injured.

No crash is easy to handle and any type of collision can be alarming and shocking. But in very severe crashes, the amount of fear and anxiety that can develop can be substantial. There are several types of collisions that can be considered catastrophic in nature including head-on collisions, rollover crashes, and incidents where occupants are trapped inside of their car.

If you were in a traumatic and cataclysmic accident in Florida, the Jacksonville car accident attorneys at Sheftall Law can advise you on your options for obtaining the most compensation for your damages. The costs you may face after an accident include but are not limited to medical expenses and lost wages from missed time from work. Combined, these can be extremely costly. Securing the highest amount of compensation to help you recoup those financial losses is incredibly important. The Jacksonville personal injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Sheftall & Associates are dedicated to fighting for victims’ rights and securing the most favorable outcome for them.

What Happens When Entrapment Take Place After a Crash?

When a vehicle is involved in an accident with other vehicles or with other objects, there is the potential that some portion of the vehicle can restrain its occupants. While first responders who will come to the scene to handle the situation are highly trained and skilled in understanding the right protocol for maximizing safety and getting victims out as fast as possible, the situation is still a challenging one to manage.

There are very specific modern extraction techniques that are used in this complicated situation. The ultimate goal is to determine what is keeping victims trapped, find a way to handle the obstruction, and then disentangle the victims. Then, rapidly getting victims’ medical attention is next. No matter what is keeping a victim stuck in their car and with respect to the injuries the victim has already suffered, first responders, work to identify an approach that will remove victims in a way that causes as little additional damages to the victim as possible.

There may be more than one victim that needs assistance at a crash scene and vehicles that are involved in a crash can be strewed all over. Speed, where the collision took place, and the use or failure to use seatbelts are all factors when determining where damaged cars and injured victims are in a crash scene. It is possible that while some victims are located in a car that has them entrapped others could have been thrown from their car and in a location far away from where the majority of the destruction exists. 

This is why when first responders arrive, they have a big job on their hands. They need to find ways to quickly get to victims so that potentially life-saving medical care can be administered. Rescuers also have to perform a comprehensive investigation of the accident scene to identify all parties that could have been involved and need help.

Identifying Points of Entrapment

There can be many ways that a victim can be stuck inside of their vehicle. Numerous factors go into how a vehicle entraps its occupants. Points of entrapment define how a victim is entangled in their vehicle. When rescuers arrive at a scene where there are victims snared inside of a car and unable to get out, the points of entrapment must be identified along with the level and severity of the situation. Potentially, only one point of entrapment may exist but there are also instances where more than one point of entrapment is keeping victims caught inside of a vehicle.

When objects limit movement or make freeing oneself from their vehicle impossible rescuers will examine the situation to develop the most thorough intervention strategy to resolve the problems and assist victims.

Examples of common points of entrapment inside vehicles of all types include:

• Various pedals like the brakes.
• Seats
• Crushing points between the seat and the dashboard.
• Doors that are damaged and cannot open.
• Collapsed roofs compress victims.

Entrapment crashes are some of the scariest crash scenarios to take place and they can cause immense harm to victims both physically and psychologically. It is not uncommon for a victim that experiences such a harrowing accident to have long-lasting mental health issues from the shock and anguish they endured from their collision. It is possible for victims to develop debilitating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and more from their accident experience.

Filing a Florida personal injury claim can include all of a victims’ damages including the psychological toll they had to go through. Families too can experience devastating grief if they lost a loved one in such a calamitous and horrendous way. In these situations, families of loved ones may be able to file a Florida wrongful death claim on behalf of their lost loved one. The compassionate Jacksonville wrongful death attorneys at The Law Offices of Sheftall & Associates can assist aggrieved families throughout every step of the wrongful death claim process.

Speak to a Jacksonville Car Accident Attorney Today

The Law Offices of Sheftall & Associates have knowledgeable personal injury and wrongful death attorneys in Jacksonville that can help you obtain justice after being hurt so badly from a crash. With a proven track record of success helping victims secure maximum recovery, the attorneys at The Law Offices of Sheftall & Associates will be by your side advocating on your behalf to secure the best outcome possible for your case. To learn more, please call 904-647-2296 to schedule a free consultation with one of the talented attorneys at The Law Offices of Sheftall & Associates today. There is a limited amount of time to file a claim, so do not delay in starting yours.