Cross-border personal injury risks for commercial truck drivers

Although traveling across the border between British Columbia and and the United States is limited during the lockdown, commercial truck drivers continue to risk their lives as they haul merchandise and other loads between the two countries. Employers must protect workers from occupational hazards, including those who drive for the company. When drivers suffer cross-border personal injury while on duty, recovering damages could be complicated.

Safety authorities report that the primary cause of work-related deaths in British Columbia is vehicle accidents. Furthermore, statistics show that almost 20 lives are lost in work-related road accidents each year, and more than 1,300 injuries and lost work time are reported annually. The average lost workdays for all British Columbia work-related injuries is 55 days, except for crash-related injuries, which was 84 days on average in 2018.

When a big rig driver are injured in vehicle accidents, the impact on his or her family can be severe. It is even more devastating when an accident happens during a long haul trip, leaving the injured driver hospitalized south of the border. In such cases, the laws of both countries will come into play.

The driver may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. However, suppose a third-party’s negligence caused the accident. When that happens, there might be more damages recoverable than the benefits offered by workers’ compensation insurance. This is where the skills of a British Columbia personal injury lawyer with experience in cross-border personal injury cases come in. Legal counsel can navigate a civil lawsuit in pursuit of a monetary judgment to cover documented financial and other claims.