Hit by a police car, ambulance or fire truck in Las Vegas: can you make a claim?

Last updated November 9, 2026.

In many cases, yes. Emergency vehicle drivers get limited privileges in Nevada, only while responding to an emergency call, pursuing a suspected violator or responding to (not returning from) a fire alarm, and only with the required signals on (NRS 484B.700(1), (2)). They may go through a red light after slowing down as needed for safety, exceed the speed limit without endangering life or property, and ignore rules on direction and turning. Those privileges never relieve the driver of "the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons" (NRS 484B.700(4)). If the vehicle belongs to a city, county or the State, Nevada's government claim rules also apply, including a $200,000 cap per claimant (NRS 41.035(1)). This page explains how both sets of rules shape a Las Vegas car accident claim.

The other half of the story is your duty. On the immediate approach of an emergency vehicle using flashing lights, other drivers must, unless a police officer directs otherwise, yield, pull to the right and stop until it passes (NRS 484B.267(1)). Whether you did, and whether you could have seen or heard it in time, is usually where these cases are argued.

How does a claim against an emergency vehicle work, step by step?

The crash is investigated. Ask for the event number at the scene; our page on how to get a Las Vegas crash report explains the request.
Find out who owns the vehicle. A police car or fire engine is usually owned by a public body. An ambulance may be public or private. The answer decides which rules apply.
Find out what the vehicle was doing. The privileges in NRS 484B.700 apply only when responding to an emergency call, pursuing a suspect, or responding to (not returning from) a fire alarm, and only with audible and visual signals, or visual signals only, as required by law.
For a public vehicle, name the right defendant. A tort action over an employee's on-duty conduct may not be brought against the officer or employee unless the State or the political subdivision is named as a defendant (NRS 41.0337).
File the administrative claim. A tort claim against a political subdivision is filed with its governing body, and against the State with the Attorney General, within 2 years (NRS 41.036(1), (2)). Filing is not a condition before suing (NRS 41.036(3)), but the claim can open settlement talks.
Fault is compared. Your recovery is reduced by your share and barred only if it is greater than the defendants' combined share (NRS 41.141).
Sue within the time limit. An injury lawsuit generally must be filed within 2 years (NRS 11.190(4)(e)). Our page on crashes with a city, county or state vehicle covers the government process in more detail.

What may an emergency vehicle do, and what may it not do?

Question	Nevada rule	Source
When do the privileges apply?	Responding to an emergency call, pursuing an actual or suspected violator, or responding to (not returning from) a fire alarm	NRS 484B.700(1)
Signals required?	Yes: audible and visual signals, or visual signals only, as required by law	NRS 484B.700(2)
Red lights and stop signs	May proceed past them, but only after slowing down as necessary for safe operation	NRS 484B.700(1)(a)
Speed	May exceed limits so long as the driver does not endanger life or property	NRS 484B.700(1)(b)
Direction and turns	May disregard rules on direction of movement and turning	NRS 484B.700(1)(c)
The limit on every privilege	The driver keeps the duty of due regard for the safety of all persons and is not protected from the consequences of reckless disregard	NRS 484B.700(4)
Your duty when it approaches	Yield, move as close as possible to the right edge clear of any intersection, and stop until it passes	NRS 484B.267(1)
Your duty near a stopped or moving emergency vehicle	Slow down, proceed with caution, be ready to stop, do not drive abreast of or pass it in the same direction, and change lanes if possible	NRS 484B.267(2); 484B.607

How do the government claim rules change a public vehicle case?

Nevada waives immunity for the State and its political subdivisions, so their liability is decided by the same rules that apply to people and companies, subject to the limits in NRS 41.032 to 41.038 (NRS 41.031(1)). Four of those limits matter most after an emergency vehicle crash.

The cap. An award in a tort action against the State, a political subdivision, or their officers and employees for on-duty conduct may not exceed $200,000 to or for the benefit of any claimant, exclusive of interest from the date of judgment, and may not include punitive damages (NRS 41.035(1)).
Who is named. The public body must be a named defendant (NRS 41.0337).
Discretionary acts. No action may be brought on a claim based on the exercise or performance of a discretionary function or duty (NRS 41.032(2)). How that limit applies to a particular driving decision is a legal question to raise early in the case.
Police and fire agencies. A fire department or law enforcement agency is not liable for the negligent acts of its firefighters or officers unless the person made a specific promise you relied on, or the person's conduct affirmatively caused the harm (NRS 41.0336).

When your losses are more than $200,000, your own underinsured motorist coverage may make up part of the difference: Nevada requires that coverage to include a provision letting you recover, up to your own limits, damages for bodily injury that exceed the limitation in NRS 41.035 (NRS 687B.145(2)). Our page on claiming your own underinsured motorist coverage explains how to open that claim.

What changes the answer

No lights or siren. If the vehicle was not using the required signals, the privileges in NRS 484B.700 did not apply, and its driver was bound by the ordinary rules of the road, such as obeying a red signal (NRS 484B.307).
Returning from a call. The fire alarm privilege covers responding "but not upon returning from" the alarm (NRS 484B.700(1)).
A private ambulance. The cap in NRS 41.035 applies to the State, political subdivisions and their officers, employees, immune contractors and State Legislators. A private ambulance company is not on that list (an "immune contractor" is one that provides medical services for the Department of Corrections, NRS 41.0307(3)), so the government cap does not apply to a claim against it.
You did not yield. If you had a fair chance to see or hear the vehicle and did not pull over, part of the fault may be assigned to you under NRS 484B.267(1) and NRS 41.141.
A police pursuit. If you were hit by the vehicle being chased, the fleeing driver is a defendant. Whether the pursuing driver kept due regard for safety is a separate question under NRS 484B.700(4).
You were a pedestrian or cyclist. See being hit by a car while walking in Las Vegas or whose insurance pays in a bicycle crash.

For example: an intersection on Charleston Boulevard

Imagine a driver named Augustin. He enters an intersection on Charleston Boulevard on a green light. A fire engine responding to a call comes through on red from his left and strikes his car. Everything here is hypothetical.

Witnesses agree the engine had its lights and siren on, so the privileges in NRS 484B.700 applied. The question is whether the engine slowed down "as may be necessary for safe operation" before entering on red, and whether Augustin could have heard and seen it in time to yield under NRS 484B.267(1). A nearby business camera shows the engine entered at speed without slowing and that buildings blocked Augustin's view to the left until the last second.

Because the engine belongs to a public fire department, Augustin files a claim with the governing body of that political subdivision within 2 years (NRS 41.036(2)) and names the public body, not the engine driver alone, in his lawsuit (NRS 41.0337). His medical bills and lost wages approach the $200,000 cap in NRS 41.035, so his attorney also opens an underinsured motorist claim with Augustin's own insurer under NRS 687B.145(2).

Common mistakes after a crash with an emergency vehicle

Assuming emergency vehicles cannot be sued. The privileges are limited, and the due regard duty remains (NRS 484B.700(4)).
Suing only the driver. For a public vehicle, the public body must be named (NRS 41.0337).
Missing the claim filing. The administrative claim has a 2-year window (NRS 41.036).
Not asking about video. Public vehicles and nearby businesses may have recordings; request preservation in writing early.
Ignoring your own coverage. The government cap can leave a gap that your underinsured motorist coverage may fill (NRS 687B.145(2)).

What to do this week

Get medical care and keep all records.
Write down whether you saw lights or heard a siren, and when.
Note the vehicle number, the agency or company name, and any witnesses.
Request the crash report, or note the event number.
Send written requests to preserve video to the agency and nearby businesses.
Notify your own insurer, including about underinsured motorist coverage.
Mark the 2-year deadlines for the claim and the lawsuit (NRS 41.036; NRS 11.190).

Frequently asked questions

Can a police car legally run a red light?

Yes, when responding to an emergency call or in pursuit and using the required signals, but only after slowing down as necessary for safe operation (NRS 484B.700(1)(a), (2)), and always with due regard for the safety of all persons (NRS 484B.700(4)).

Is there a cap on what I can recover from the city or county?

Yes. An award against the State, a political subdivision or their employees for on-duty conduct may not exceed $200,000 per claimant, exclusive of post-judgment interest, and may not include punitive damages (NRS 41.035(1)).

Do I have to file a claim before I sue?

Nevada requires the claim to be filed within 2 years, with the Attorney General for the State or the governing body for a political subdivision, but says filing is not a condition precedent to suing (NRS 41.036). Filing it can still be a way to open settlement talks.

What if I did not hear the siren?

Your duty to yield arises on "the immediate approach" of an emergency vehicle using flashing lights (NRS 484B.267(1)). Whether you could reasonably have seen or heard it, given traffic, buildings and your windows, is a fact question that often decides how fault is shared.

Was the ambulance that hit me a government vehicle?

It depends on who owns and runs it. The markings, the report and the claim correspondence usually show it. The government cap applies only to the public bodies and people listed in NRS 41.035(1).

Can I get punitive damages against a public agency?

No. An award under the government claim rules may not include punitive damages (NRS 41.035(1)).

If an emergency vehicle hit you in the Las Vegas Valley, attorney Maysoun Fletcher can review the facts, the agency rules and the deadlines with you. Call 702-333-6339 for a free consultation; the phones are answered 24/7.