Cross-border personal injury can result from distracted driving

Whether people drive in Vancouver or Seattle while on a shopping trip, distractions will always produce threats. Even the most focused drivers can suffer the consequences of another driver’s distractions. When a crash-related, cross-border personal injury occurs, insurance and legal ramifications could become overwhelming.

Distractions come in different forms, and even those that last for mere seconds can cause severe accidents. Visual distractions include all the times that a driver’s eyes leave the roadway, and manual distractions involve removing the hands from the steering wheel. When it comes to cognitive distractions, the driver’s attention is no longer focused on driving. In many cases, all three coincide in instances where the driver’s hand is used to change the dials of the entertainment system, his or her eyes will likely also glance in that direction, and his or her mind will be focused on finding the desired music.

Other distractions are not brief at all, and they involve eating, drinking beverages — sometimes holding a beverage and the steering wheel with one hand while eating a burger with the other hand. Passengers can add to the chaos in a car, especially when young children or teenagers partake in horseplay. Distractions can also come from outside in the form of the weather, other vehicles, roadside activities, and signs or advertising boards.

If a Vancouver resident suffers serious injuries in a car accident while he or she is south of the border, dealing with insurance providers and laws of two countries could be daunting. This is where the skills come in of a lawyer who is registered on both sides of the border and experienced in dealing with cross-border personal injury cases. With such support and guidance, the chances of recovering economic and noneconomic damages might be vastly increased.