VEHICLE MODEL NO PROTECTION AGAINST INJURY IN A CAR ACCIDENT

The sheer force of impact in a high-speed collision is a great equalizer in vehicle damage as well as potential injury. When first responders must resort to the Jaws of Life to extricate victims of a car accident from a sports model or a luxury sedan, it puts paid to the myth that either jazzed-up or heavier cars offer protection against harm. On British Columbia roadways, however, it is a driver’s skill and respect for the law that constitute the ultimate prevention against recklessness on the road.

On a recent late-night Saturday, a speeding driver failed to stop at a red light, causing another car to slam into a traffic light standard. Three victims were pinned for over an hour in the smashed-up vehicles. Fire crews applied all due care in extricating the accident victims without adding to injuries already sustained in the crash. In the immediate aftermath, all three victims were transported to hospital, where they remain in stable condition.

Current car models are accessorized with such advanced technology that they can instill a misplaced faith in drivers who then engage in reckless behaviour. Such scofflaws deceive themselves by believing that their car, not their driving, will prevent a car accident. Their nemesis can often be the equally advanced technology of the dashboard camera. Witnesses in bystander vehicles equipped with dash cameras were able to provide authorities with a photographic replay of the event.

Surrey RCMP are studying the footage to determine which driver ran the red light. This replay of a needless car accident can provide at least two of the three accident victims with conceivable cause to pursue a personal injury lawsuit. If one or both secure legal counsel, they may find the guidance and experience of a British Columbia personal injury lawyer of significant help in ascertaining legal fault and quantifying damages.

Source: cbc.ca, “High-speed crash in Surrey sends 3 to hospital“, Listen Live, Oct. 14, 2017