Left Turn and Intersection Car Accident Injury Lawyers

If You Had a Left Turn Accident or Intersection Car Accident Anywhere in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, San Bernardino or California, Please Contact Our California Personal Injury Collision Lawyers Now for an Absolutely FREE Consultation and Case Evaluation

There were 28,756 drivers involved in left-turn injury accidents and 229 drivers involved in left-turn collisions with fatalities in California in 2011, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). If you have been injured in a left-turn car accident or other auto, truck, motorcycle or bicycle collision or an intersection car accident, or someone you care about has been injured or killed and his or her family has a wrongful death claim due to a left-turn car collision or other intersection accident, that occurred anywhere in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino or in the state of California, we invite you to contact our expert personal injury accident lawyers now for an absolutely FREE COURTESY CONSULTATION.

The insurance companies have trained and experienced claims adjusters working to limit or sometimes even deny your left-turn and intersection car accident injury claim in order to increase their net profits. You should take away their edge and even get an advantage by consulting right now with an expert left-turn and intersection personal injury car accident lawyer. If you were involved in a left-turn or other intersection car, motorcycle, truck or bicycle accident with a personal injury that occurred anywhere in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley or California and need any legal help, please contact our personal injury attorneys now for an absolutely FREE consultation as we would really like to assist you.

Whenever a car, truck or motorcycle makes a left-turn resulting in an impact with another car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or sometimes even a pedestrian, a collision with serious injury may occur. Sometimes the collisions are so severe that a fatality occurs, resulting in a wrongful death claim.

Such collisions often occur in intersections when cars turning left hurry to beat red traffic lights or are rushed into turning before the intersection is clear by someone honking from behind. Sometimes the car travelling straight also hurries to beat a red traffic light. As a result, one or more vehicles may be traveling at a high rate of speed, too fast for conditions, or may be inattentive and careless, causing a substantial impact that may often cause severe injuries, sometime deaths with wrongful death claims and significant damages.

From our experience of handling many left-turn car accidents, intersection car accidents and motor vehicle collisions for over 45 years, we see several common causes of such left-turn car accidents, including the following:

1. Traveling too fast for conditions or speeding;
2. Not paying attention or using due care, often from using cell phones or other electronic mobile devices while driving;
3. Commencing the left turn when it is not safe, simply because the driver behind honked his or her horn (remember, the car turning left bears responsibility, not the car from behind who most likely will disappear, so NEVER turn left until it is 100% clear & safe to do so);
4. The opposing car enters the intersection against a red traffic signal;
5. The other car enters the intersection against a stop sign when it is not safe to do so;
6. Poor visibility, for example, when a driver’s line of sight is blocked by a large truck or other vehicle; and
7. Weather conditions, including bright setting sun, rain, wet and iced roads.

Fault and responsibility (i.e., legal liability) for left-turn car accidents is almost always on the driver of the car that turned left for lack of attention. An exception to this general rule occurs when, on rare occasion, the opposing car clearly ran a red traffic light or entered the intersection against a stop sign.

California law pertaining to left turns states as follows:

Left-Turn or U-Turn California Vehicle Code Section 21801 states as follows:

1. "The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left or to complete a U-turn upon a highway, or to turn left into public or private property, or an alley, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching from the opposite direction which are close enough to constitute a hazard at any time during the turning movement, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to the approaching vehicles until the left turn or U-turn can be made with reasonable safety."
2. "A driver having yielded as prescribed in subdivision (a), and having given a signal when and as required by this code, may turn left or complete a U-turn, and the drivers of vehicles approaching the intersection or the entrance to the property or alley from the opposite direction shall yield the right-of-way to the turning vehicle."

California law recognizes that a left-turn is a dangerous maneuver because the left turning vehicle enters or crosses into the lane of traffic for other vehicles. In fact, some courts have stated that the left turn is the most dangerous maneuver a motorist may execute; thus, great caution must always be undertaken.

Most states require that the left turning motorist is required to signal his intent to make a left turn at least 100 feet before reaching an intersection. In addition to giving the proper signal, the driver is required to make a proper observation that the turn could be made without endangering a passing vehicle.

The giving of a signal is immaterial if, at the time, the driver of the turning vehicle did not have the opportunity to make the turn safely. The left turning motorist also has the duty to yield to all vehicles approaching from the opposite direction, which are within the intersection, or so close thereto as to constitute an immediate hazard.

Our left-turn personal injury accident attorneys and legal staff are immensely experienced and knowledgeable in dealing with left turn and intersection car collisions, representing many injury victims throughout all of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and California for over 45 years. In addition, our firm offers:

• Over 98% success rate in car accident injury cases
• Over $100,000,000.00 recovered
• Personal Injury Law Firm of the Year 2011

For more information about our personal injury lawyers and law firm we invite you to see our Home Web Page, Testimonials and Attorney Profiles.