Tourists may need help with cross-border personal injury claims

British Columbia gets many visitors to its nature areas and camping grounds where they can enjoy the biking and hiking trails and ski slopes during winter time. However, not all tourists are prepared for the challenging driving conditions in which they can encounter fog, rain, sleet and snow. Extra careful driving is required to prevent circumstances that might lead to a cross-border personal injury lawsuit to recover damages.

Many drivers do not realize that speed limits are posted for ideal conditions and that they must reduce speed and allow more space for braking when they drive on roads covered with rain, slush, ice or snow. Washed out or flooded roads must be avoided, and extreme caution is necessary when they approach snow plows, salt trucks and other highway maintenance activities. Safety authorities also advise motorists to keep their gas tanks and wiper fluid containers full, and check the pressure of the tires frequently,

Some British Columbia highways require that vehicles have winter tires for specific times of the year. Inappropriate tires might lose grip, and the vehicle can go into a skid when there is ice on the road. If the road is covered with a film of water, the car can hydroplane if the tires do not have a firm grip on the road surface. These are but some of the circumstances that could lead to car accidents.

While most drivers comply with road rules and take extra care in adverse conditions, others do not — often causing innocent occupants of other vehicles to land in hospitals. If this should happen to tourists from south of the border, they may be overwhelmed by having to deal with insurance companies and laws from both jurisdictions. An experienced cross-border personal injury lawyer can take over and handle all proceedings for them in a quest to obtain recovery of financial and emotional losses.

Source: icbc.com, “Driving in poor conditions“, Accessed on Nov. 17, 2017