What tourists from Canada should do if injured in a car accident

Rick is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

8/16/2010
Richard N. Shapiro
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Canadians/Quebec Residents Injured in a Virginia (VA) or Carolina Car Accident

Each year, millions of Canadian resident tourists drive from outside of the U.S. to visit Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) the Outer Banks of North Carolina NC) and other popular areas like Williamsburg. You may be surprised to discover that a large number of Va. Beach tourists are visiting from Montreal and Quebec province, Canada. In fact, Canadian visitors to the Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach area increased from 4.2 percent in 2002 to 11.7 percent in the summer of 2009, according to a visitor profile study conducted by Old Dominion University. There are so many Canadian tourists that a sign in the beach area says "Welcome to Virginia" in English and French! The Virginia and Carolina beaches are beautiful, and our Canadian visitors realize how beautiful these beaches are.

During our tourism seasons - spring and summer - traffic is more congested than usual, especially in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and on U.S. 13 (Route 13) and Interstate 64 (I-64), which tourists from Canada use to travel to the Eastern Shore, Hampton and Norfolk.The high volume of traffic consequently means that car accidents, motorcycle crashes, and truck wrecks are more likely to occur.

For the large number of Canadian tourists, getting into a car accident and suffering injuries while on vacation can be particularly unnerving. They may wonder if the damages sustained from the wreck can or will be covered since they are tourists.

What many Canadians are probably unaware of is that they entitled to the same rights as American citizens who are injured in car accidents in the United States, and VA and NC state courts allow jury trials in injury cases, unlike Canadian injury lawsuits.

Canadian tourists who are injured in a car accident in Virginia, such as a fender bender or head-on collision, should first seek medical attention. Any car accident can result in serious neck or head injuries. Virginia and Carolina state law provides for a jury or non-jury trial for personal injury cases.

Tourists, whether from out-of-state or out-of-country, can still contact a law firm from the area in which the accident occurred and the Canadian "no fault" rules may be totally inapplicable in VA or NC if the injury was caused by an American resident driver, who was at fault. Being injured in a car accident in Va or NC could mean potential lost wages from work, large medical bills and permanent or temporary disabilities which a jury can compensate for. Tourists will need an experienced injury attorney to help them receive the settlement or verdict that they deserve.

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Category: Car Accident Lawyers & Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia (VA) injury law firm whose attorneys focus exclusively on personal injury and accident law. We have a proven track record in the court room, and you can review our case results to see for yourself. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of another person or company.

Virginia injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Rick, Jim and Randy have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law (Jim since '06, Rick since '10, and Randy since '12). This is a prestigious recognition that only 5 percent of lawyers receive.

We were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our Virginia Beach accident injury firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

We also offer free special reports and edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard blog sites as a public information service.

Our attorneys have deep roots in Virginia and handle cases throughout the commonwealth including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Suffolk, VA.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to the high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will get back to you shortly.

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