It is about that time of the year again, when Oregon malls are busy with people buying gifts for the holidays. With busy malls comes any opportunity for you as a driver to be in a car accident while driving away or to the mall. Here are some tips to keep you from being in a car accident.
1. Remember to keep a 4 second space between you and the car ahead of you.
2. When pulling out of your parking spot, make sure you have your lights on and pull out very slowly. If it would help, ask your passenger to stand next to the car and help you and drivers around you know that you are leaving.
3. Be ready for people that will stop in the middle of the aisle for a parking spot. Do not go around them, as you can not see why they have stopped.
4. Make sure your lights are on at all times.
5. You will be tired after a long day of shopping, make sure you don’t turn on the heat right away, as this will make you more tired. Make sure you don’t get into the car and start driving if you are about to fall asleep.
6. If you are planning on going to different stores around the mall, try and walk. The less time you are in your car, the less congested it will be around the area.
7. Try and go on less busy times. If you can keep away from the mall on the weekends or Friday nights, that will help with the amount of automobiles on the road.
8. Always be ready for a long wait to get out of the shopping area. If you can go back roads or car pool.
9. If you do get in an accident, make sure you pull off the road immediately to keep the traffic from building up behind you.
10. Always be on alert for drivers that are in a hurry to get home quickly.

If you do happen to get into a car accident during these holiday seasons, make sure you get in contact with an attorney with the knowledge to protect you.

Car accident injury cases that occur on the two current bridges separating Oregon and Washington State will often raise venue questions on where such cases can be filed in court or settled. Court shopping may bear on how much settlement money you get. If you have been injured in a car accident in Oregon you must have an Oregon lawyer to lawfully help you. If you are injured in Washington you need a Washington licensed lawyer to lawfully help you.

As the lead attorney at Peterson Law Offices Todd Peterson is dually able to take on car accident cases that occur on either the I-5 bridge or the I 205 bridge. Todd has handled several bridge car accident cases and it really depends upon where on the bride the accident occurred in order to determine what is the proper state jurisdiction to file or bring the settlement claim. You may get a more conservative jury in Clark County Washington as opposed to the more urban Multnomah County Juries, so picking your venue for a court to have your cases possibly tried is quite important. Another issue to address is where the driver, that is you, and the other driver live, either Oregon or Washington State.

Having handled injury cases in Oregon since 1991 and Washington since 1994 Todd would tell you that it is important to closely evaluate the jurisdictional issue of where to file your Oregon and Washington bridge injury case. Both Washington and Oregon state bars even have rules which basically says non-lawyers cannot practice law in their states so in Todd’s opinion what better opinion is there if you have a question on what state to File with your Oregon state injury case and Washington state injury case than a lawyer who is dual licensed in Oregon and Washington.