Who's at fault (car vs. truck accident)

Factual Questions
1

No not me but saw the result of a car getting together with a big 18 wheeler. The results are about what you would expect and pretty much the same as when a Gread dane gets together with a podel.

This is in NYC

Truck wants to turn left, but can only do so from the middle lane (which for straight travel).

Car in left most lane wanting to make left.

Both start into the turn and truck hits car mid-trailer and drags car 20 ft to a stop.

According to the truck driver:

Turn must be made from middle lane

Left signal was on

car tryed to ‘sneek through’ to get ahead of truck

A bunch of sanatation workers rushed over and agreed that the truck driver was in the right from the truck driver’s discription. But then again the NYC sanatation is known for diving big trucks around and hitting cars.

So even if we take the truck drivers word for it, I, personally, still see him being at fault because:

If he has to make the turn from the middle lane he should be darn sure that it is safe, this includes not cutting off cars legally turning from the left.

And if it was not safe he should continue straight to the next turn.

So I see the truck driver loosing by his own word. But I don’t know the law, Just common sense that if you are driving a multi tonn object you must use extra care. I would like to know, using the truck driver’s word as what actually happened who is at fault?

Also what happens if we add in the car drivers side:

Did not see signal (don’t know if the signal was on).

Did not try to beat out the truck, didn’t even realise the truck was turning.

2

Truckers around here kind of straddle two lanes, so the car in the left hand lane pretty much should of known what is gonna happen.

3

Um… 99% of the time trucks have big huge yellow signs on the back that say “CAUTION VEHICLE MAKES WIDE TURNS”

if you cant see that, then you need to be more attentive driving.

trucks have LOTS OF BLINKERS, if you dont notice the 12 bright lights blinking on the left side, then you might as well also run some red lights and hit some people, then say “i did not even know the light was red”

4

So then if I put a sign stating that I “make wide turns” on my car I no longer have to que up in the left or right turn lanes?

Seems to me that if there’s a left turn lane, that’s where you need to turn from. Vehicle too long, tough cookies!

5

The car driver maybe should have anticpated the possibility of the truck’s turning, but ultimately it is the truck driver’s fault. He is turning from the “wrong” lane and has a responsibility to make sure it is clear.

6

There is something about the description in the OP that stinks me thinks.

I am reading this as the two were lined up side by side and the light turns green.
If this is true then for the hit to occur mid trailer, the truck would have to accelerate faster than the car.
You are asking me to believe that a semi tractor out accelerated a car from a dead stop? :confused: Even Mario Andretti couldn’t drive truck in a manner to out accelerate/corner a passenger car.
For the accident to happen at the point indicated (hit mid trailer) the truck would have to be in the turn at the time (trucks corner way slower than cars)
This means that while the truck was turning, the car entered to his left, ran out of room and got hit. I make this the car’s fault.

7

No it was not at a light, both were traveling down the street.

IIRC there is no light at this intersection, but if there was it was green as they approached it.

8

Was the car in a “left turn lane” or just the left lane. Because if it was a “left turn lane”, I’m pretty sure there was a light.

Also, I don’t think the truck hit the car mid-trailer- the car must have hit the truck mid- trailer. Which means the truck was already starting to turn when the car caught up. If I’m stopped waiting for a red light or oncoming traffic, I’ll be able to beat an adjacent truck through the left turn, as long as the truck didn’t start turning before I did.

9

Therefore if the point of contact was partway down the trailer, the truck started his turn before the car entered the intersection. The car entered an intersection when it was not safe. Car’s fault.