California Has Nation’s Longest EMS Response Time for Fatal Car Crashes, Study Shows

Victims of life-threatening car crashes in California have to wait longer for emergency responders than in other parts of the country, a recent study has revealed. 

Help arrives slowest in California, with the state recording almost double the national average wait time for emergency medical service (EMS) responders, according to a study by LendingTree. 

The study examines fatal crash data across the U.S. using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System public federal database of fatal traffic crashes in 2022 and 2023. Researchers analyzed how quickly EMS reaches fatal crash sites after they are informed. 

The average EMS response time after a fatal car crash across the U.S. is 10 minutes, according to the study. This pertains to the amount of time that lapses between getting alerted to an emergency and arriving at the crash scene. 

LendingTree researchers said a 10-minute EMS response time is on the slower side of what emergency response standards are aiming for. 

Among the states with available data, California was found to have the slowest EMS response time after a deadly car crash. On average, EMS teams in California take 19.6 minutes to arrive at the scene of the crash. 

Longer response times can result in severe consequences for crash victims, explained LendingTree auto insurance expert Lindsay Bishop. The early minutes are crucial for medical attention and victims may suffer from complications such as bleeding or oxygen deprivation that worsen injuries.

Citing the U.S. Department of Transportation, the study said around 40% of people who die in fatal car crashes were still alive when EMS first responders arrived, but died later. 

On the other hand, the District of Columbia had the fastest EMS response time after a fatal car crash, with EMS arriving in 4.7 minutes. 

Three states (South Carolina, Virginia, and New Mexico) did not have data available for analysis, according to LendingTree. 

States with the slowest EMS response times: 

• California

• Wyoming

• North Dakota

• Oklahoma

• Alabama

• Mississippi

• South Dakota

• West Virginia

• Montana

• Louisiana

States with the fastest EMS response times:

• District of Columbia

• Massachusetts

• Nevada

• Rhode Island

• New Jersey

• Connecticut

• Colorado

• Delaware

• Ohio

• Illinois

Location and time of day also play significant roles.

Longer response times in rural areas tend to create more challenges for fatal crash victims, Bishop said. 

The slowest average EMS response time is usually between 4 and 4:59 a.m., at 11.4 minutes, while the fastest occurs from 9 to 9:59 p.m., at 9.1 minutes. 

Long Ambulance Offload Time

Even after reaching patients, EMS crews can face delays at hospitals. A separate study found that ambulance offload times in California exceeded the state’s 30-minute standard. 

The ambulance patient offload time (APOT) is the critical interval marking the duration from an ambulance’s arrival at the emergency department (ED) to the time when the patient is transferred to the ED’s care, according to the study published on PubMed Central. 

Based on a study that analyzed ambulance offloads across 34 local EMS agencies in California, the mean APOT was 42.8 minutes.  

Offloading delays often lead to a prolonged length of stay in the ED and increased mortality, according to the study. Prolonged APOT also results in ambulances getting stuck for a longer time at EDs and less availability of critical care services for the community.