Auto accident! have you planned it out?

Status
Not open for further replies.
FROGO207

FROGO207

Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Messages
11,967
Location
Mount Desert Island Maine
Reading about the 63 car pileup in Virginia today got me to thinking about if I was in one of these and was legally carrying/transporting a firearm or two how would I fare after the dust settles and I am out of the hospital. I do have pictures and serial numbers of everything I would be there with. Things do turn up missing, so does my insurance cover me? Will I have to fight the local PD or DA to get my property back? Will I even be in good enough shape to tell first responders I have firearms at all? I have never been in a MVA that bad that I couldn't deal. Have you? How did you fair in the end? I need to be on top of this so I need to formulate a plan that works. Don't just tell me to carry a Hi Point C9!;)
 
No experience so.....

Law enforcement should secure any firearms.

As long as the gun and owner are both legal, there should not be any fight to it, you would have to go claim your property.....doubt they will come to you.
 
I have heard stories of people not getting them back. There are thieves in all walks of life from judges on down to tow truck drivers so I am skeptical of a 100% good outcome. I may worry too much............
 
An as-yet un-filed theft report is step one.

Before filing, it has paid to approach any parties that might have had access:

Emergency services
Tow operators
Witnesses

Letting each know in an indirect manner that you are covering all your bases in case a good samaritan has taken custody of it, prior to your filling the theft report.

Yup, I've seen this movie too!

Todd.
 
I was in a bad accident years ago and had a pistol in the center console. I was knocked unconscious but then woke up when getting cut out of the car. I told the officer on scene about the pistol and he returned it to my wife while I was still in the hospital for two weeks.

I had a valid carry permit so everything was legal as far as storage and all that.

It was a month old new car, so I had collision and comprehensive coverage on it. If the pistol had disappeared, it would have been covered under the comp coverage less the $50 deductible I had.

Comprehensive coverage covers things like animal collisions, vandalism, theft, hail damage, flood damage, fire damage, and other such things. Considered not-at-fault claims and doesn't affect your rates. Supposedly.

Had a giant hail claim on another new car seven years later and Geico raised my rates.
 
A friend and his wife were killed in a wreck. The collision (transfer truck vs MG) popped the trunk lid and scattered guns over the roadside. Who knows if they were all returned to his family.

I have read of various outcomes on crash victims' guns.
 
I remember a news report not to long ago. A couple of teens drove up to a wreck. Guy was laying on pavement dieing and they stole his gun and wallet. It was caught on dash cam I believe. All involved have been charged.
 
Drive very defensively when transporting firearms (which is not to say that you don't do that anyway). I would go so far as to say to take back roads, avoid the Interstates and congested areas, etc. Also plan your trip in detail ahead of time, identifying trouble spots, etc. In extreme cases, have a buddy follow you in an escort car. I've had to do this on several occasions when transporting machine guns.
 
What are your State’s laws about carrying and transporting firearms?

In Kansas we have have good pro-gun laws. No permit is required for open, concealed and transporting firearms. It is common for EMS, especially in the big cities, to transport a patient that is carrying a firearm to a hospital. Guns are no big deal except to anti-gun nurses.

In bigger hospital EMS turns the gun over to hospital security. Security holds the gun until either the patient claims it upon dismissal or has a designated person claim it.

Policy probably varies among small hospitals. I do know that with some small hospitals that do not have a security officer the gun is locked up in a safe in a secure area such as accounting along with other patient valuables such as expensive jewelry and large amount of cash. Again the items are released to the patient upon dismissal or a designated person picks it up.

I have see it done both ways.

As for guns being left behind in the vehicle the best advice is have a family member go to wherever the vehicle is taken and remove all valuables.
 
BSA1 said:
What are your State’s laws about carrying and transporting firearms?

In Kansas we have have good pro-gun laws. No permit is required for open, concealed and transporting firearms. It is common for EMS, especially in the big cities, to transport a patient that is carrying a firearm to a hospital. Guns are no big deal except to anti-gun nurses.

In bigger hospital EMS turns the gun over to hospital security. Security holds the gun until either the patient claims it upon dismissal or has a designated person claim it.

Policy probably varies among small hospitals. I do know that with some small hospitals that do not have a security officer the gun is locked up in a safe in a secure area such as accounting along with other patient valuables such as expensive jewelry and large amount of cash. Again the items are released to the patient upon dismissal or a designated person picks it up.

I have see it done both ways.

As for guns being left behind in the vehicle the best advice is have a family member go to wherever the vehicle is taken and remove all valuables.
Click to expand...
I interned in a 2 bed ER when I was going to school to be a paramedic. They had a safe in the office of valuables which occasionally included guns. I would want an officer to log mine, so it has less chance of going missing.
 
Having once upon a time been chained to a patrol car in a shall-issue state, I'd say, at least up here, it's a non-event. Our cops are used to pulling armed people out of wrecked vehicles, and paramedics and EMTs are used to seeing guns. The folks who respond to traffic collisions/motor vehicle accidents tend to be pretty honest as a rule, as well as those working in ERs. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I've never heard of someone's firearms getting stolen from wrecked vehicles or people in ambulances or emergency rooms up here.
 
I was in an accident a couple of years ago that totaled my truck. I was conscious and mobile afterwords and told the deputy sheriffs that I had a CCW and had a loaded 1911 in my truck console. This was a very busy intersection (4 lanes both ways) . The deputy walked to my truck through 4 lanes of traffic and returned the fully loaded, locked and cocked 1911 and gave it to me with no questions asked. He didn't even ask to see my CCW license.
 
I had a motorcycle accident. I had a revolver in my jacket pocket. The police arrived. The ambulance arrived. I informed the officer about my revolver and he took possession of it and later turned it over to my wife. I did have a permit for it.
 
First responders are trained to deal with this sort of thing. The police, ambulance crew, and tow truck drivers should know what to do. That doesn't always mean everything happens the way it should and there are dishonest people in all professions. I wouldn't carry an expensive custom gun or family heirloom that would be hard if not impossible to replace if the gun didn't get back to me.
 
jmr40 said:
First responders are trained to deal with this sort of thing. The police, ambulance crew, and tow truck drivers should know what to do. That doesn't always mean everything happens the way it should and there are dishonest people in all professions. I wouldn't carry an expensive custom gun or family heirloom that would be hard if not impossible to replace if the gun didn't get back to me.
Click to expand...

I have been a first responder for well over 35 years now. Mandatory renewal every two years (work). Never , in any of our first responder classes, have we ever discussed firearm retrieval. Or firearms in anyway.
 
Up here in Maine it's Constitutional Carry. I am also a volunteer firefighter for the past 34 years as well. We do make sure firearms are turned over to the local LE when they are found or declared but when going out of state I always worry about those what iff's. The most concern is going through NY, NJ, and the like. Obviously follow their storage laws but sometimes things go badly even if you do everything correctly.
 
jmr40 said:
First responders are trained to deal with this sort of thing. The police, ambulance crew, and tow truck drivers should know what to do. That doesn't always mean everything happens the way it should and there are dishonest people in all professions.
Click to expand...
I'd be interested to hear more about this training. They EMS personnel in this area do not receive any such training. That's not to say that they don't have a policy about it, but there's no training.
 
FROGO207 said:
I have heard stories of people not getting them back. There are thieves in all walks of life from judges on down to tow truck drivers so I am skeptical of a 100% good outcome. I may worry too much............
Click to expand...
Sorry but the " I have heard storys" sounds FAR too much like an anti LEO comment.

And having been an LEO and done many accidents involving armed citizens ,that stinks !.

Whatever your chosen line of work 'I have heard about them being dishonest and horrible ".

Get my drift ?.
 
scaatylobo said:
Sorry but the " I have heard storys" sounds FAR too much like an anti LEO comment.

And having been an LEO and done many accidents involving armed citizens ,that stinks !.

Whatever your chosen line of work 'I have heard about them being dishonest and horrible ".

Get my drift ?.
Click to expand...
I get your drift. Being realistic isn't the same as being "anti" though. There's no particular reason to trust an LEO any more than you would anyone else. Actually, statistically, you'd be better off trusting someone with a CCW than you would an LEO.
 
bearcreek said:
Actually, statistically, you'd be better off trusting someone with a CCW than you would an LEO.
Click to expand...
Uh, well, pray tell, let's see some documentation of these actual statistics then, because I'm not aware of any "statistics" on what groups of people in which occupational fields we're "better off trusting." (at the risk of straying too far afield from the actual thread topic)

Methinks some here are getting way down in the weeds about this topic. It's not rocket science, folks, and believe it or not, any cop, paramedic/EMT and tow truck driver that's responded to wrecks on the highway for more'n a month has pretty much seen it all.
 
Aside from all the "feelings" on how EMS or law enforcement might handle your vehicle borne, or belt worn firearm in a crash, let me offer this. Agencies don't want your firearm, they are at best an inventory and safety nightmare. The sooner they can return your firearm to you, or your family the better. Nobody can predict what individuals will do, discovering a firearm, nobody can. The vast majority of the professionals involved in a crash scene will live up to your best expectations.
 
Yeah I get your drift per #20. I just want to make sure if I am out of my area and if I do get in a MVA that when I get released from intensive care or the like I am not arrested even though I followed all the rules that I read from several Concealed Carry websites. The stories about going to prison for having a round of 12 GA on the floor in the back seat give me pause. Or the woman not being able to make her exit and in reversing her direction to get back to her state gets arrested for an illegal firearm that she legally had a CCW for in her home state. And in the process of performing my duties as a firefighter I have observed a couple LEO that were later removed for their actions at an incident. Not everybody is an honest upstanding citizen by a long shot. I appreciate that you were bothered by something I said and sorry about that. Unfortunately it is so true that one bad actor can taint the whole bunch. I seriously hope that if I get into a mess that it is in your area you are there to help me resolve it to the best of your ability. I should take offense to being called out as anti LE but I realize sometimes we gets carried away.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
  • Locked
Do you have a home security plan?
Replies
19
Views
710
Mike1234567
M
M
  • Locked
Ever been involved in auto accident while carrying?
Replies
21
Views
1K
seal
S
9
  • Locked
Have you ever?
Replies
17
Views
668
JohnBiltz
J
R
  • Locked
Transporting firearms via car by yourself.
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
John G C 1
J
P
  • Locked
Have you Flown NWA with a gun?
Replies
8
Views
671
Philmccan
P
Back
Top