Truck accidents that occur at intersections are some of the most devastating motor vehicle crashes due to the size of trucks, their lack of maneuverability as well as improperly loaded or secured cargo carried by trucks.
It’s no surprise that trucking companies spend an inordinate amount of time training their truck drivers to operate these monstrous and heavily loaded trucks at intersections and turns. In fact, operating a truck at intersections and turns is one of the most difficult elements of driving a truck.
“And, unfortunately, many truck drivers in California fail to operate these huge vehicles at intersections safely and properly, which causes a large number of intersection truck accidents every year,” says our truck crash lawyer Los Angeles from Law Offices of Howard Kornberg.
Fact: About a third of all fatal truck accidents in California occur at either four-way intersections or T-intersections.
Causes of truck accidents at intersections
But why do truck accidents at intersections occur in the first place? Let’s review some of the most common causes of this type of truck crashes in California:
- Traffic law violations (distracted driving, aggressive or reckless driving, speeding, running red lights);
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
- Performing illegal maneuvers (such as a U-turn at an intersection);
- Failure to yield the right of way to another car, motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian;
- Loss of control of the vehicle;
- Having trouble operating the truck due to its lack of maneuverability (especially when accelerating, braking, stopping, or turning);
- Obstruction of traffic when performing a left-hand or right-hand turn; and
- The inadequate judgment of speed or distance between the truck and vehicles in front of the truck.
Determining fault in a truck accident at an intersection
When determining fault in a truck accident at an intersection, it is highly advised to seek help from a truck crash attorney, because even if someone was clearly at fault for the crash, he or she will deny or minimize his/her liability in the accident.
Evidence will not always be readily available when an intersection truck accident involves right-of-way issues. If you can prove that you had the right of way and another driver rammed into your vehicle, an experienced truck accident lawyer in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California will be able to recover damages on your behalf.
How to prove that you had the right of way at an intersection?
How to prove that you had the right of way in a truck accident that occurred at an intersection? You had the right of way if you:
- Had a protected green light when you approached the intersection;
- Yielded to cars on a through street that had no protected green light;
- Approached the intersection at the same time as a car on the right and yielded the right of way to that car;
- Entered a multi-lane road from a two-lane road and yielded to vehicles on the larger road;
- Entered a highway from an on-ramp and yielded to vehicles on the highway; or
- Yielded to traffic on the frontage road when exiting a highway.
If you have been injured in a truck accident at an intersection, do not be surprised if notice that insurance companies are bothering you with calls forcing some low-ball settlement down your throat. Despite a prevailing sense that the other party’s fault is clear in the accident, insurers will take advantage of your lack of knowledge and lack of legal representation and will attempt to argue that you were partially or fully at fault for the crash.
Get a free consultation from our attorney at the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg. Call 310-997-0904 to determine the fault in a truck accident that occurred at an intersection in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California.
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