A man from Front Royal suffered serious injuries and had to be flown to a hospital after an evening accident with a fire truck. The man is expected to survive, but his condition is not known.

According to authorities, the fire truck was returning from a call at the time of the incident. The truck had to suddenly take evasive action because a car traveling in the same direction had stopped to turn left.

Because the swerve, the fire truck ran into a pickup coming from the opposite the direction. The truck was being operated by a volunteer driver.

Rescuers, which included the crew in the fire truck, had to work to extract the man from his pickup.

At the request of the local fire department, the Virginia State Police will investigate the cause of the accident.

Accidents involving government vehicles can be complicated

Drivers of government vehicles, like fire engines and police cars, sometimes have to take driving risks just because of the nature their jobs. However, even rescue workers have to take reasonable care to avoid accidents.

Serious motor vehicle accidents involving government vehicles can be complicated on a number of levels. For one, victims have to give proper notice of their claims to the government authority that are planning to sue.

Furthermore, government bodies in Virginia may have a lot at stake, including finances and the reputation of their workers, after an accident involving one their employees. They may have little incentive to pay compensation or to admit fault.

Finally, accidents of this nature can raise difficult factual and legal questions. In this case, for example, there were actually three vehicles involved since the fire truck swerved to avoid another vehicle turning left The role of the third vehicle may have to be investigated.

A Warrenton victim of an accident involving a government vehicle should make sure to be fully informed of his or her legal options.