Left Turn Car Accident

Q: What if I'm partly at fault for a left-hand turn accident?

Missouri follows a 'pure comparative fault' rule. This means you can still recover damages even if you're partly at fault, but your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you're found 20% at fault, you'll receive 80% of the total damages.

If a negligent driver recently caused you harm in an intersection accident, there is a good chance that they were making a left-hand turn.

Busy intersections can confuse drivers and a common place to get hit by another car. One of the most common mistakes a driver makes is the daring left-hand turn, where they must cross through one traffic lane and safely enter a second. Traffic engineers have recognized this risk and will install special traffic lights at intersections with many left-hand turn activities. However, these still don’t prevent all accidents.

Call (314) 361-4242 Online Contact Form

Excellent

The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C.

4.9

Based on 98 reviews

See all reviews

review us on

Peyton H.

I would describe this lawyer as highly educated, sharp, and top of his game. Explains the car accident process and treatment options well. The lawyer said if they don’t pay you, we will have the jury take it from the insurance company. Great lawyer. Dynamic person.

George K.

Very good car accident lawyer. Gets the job done.

Zach B.

This lawyer is as good as you will find in st. Louis. Call this lawyer if you are in an auto accident. 100% recommended

Jessica J.

Interviewed all the TV car accident lawyers and decided to call this law firm that had great reviews. So happy I did. What a difference!

Response from the owner: TV car accident lawyers are just mass production. This is not a good fit for litigated cases. Paralegals instead of lawyers. Monthly quotas for settlements. Car accident victims end up in a cattle call with the lawyers on TV.

jacob P.

Love my car accident lawyer. This law firm is a step above.

Response from the owner: Our lawyers train and track the best approaches on cases. Whether litigation in cases or the practicalities of certain treatment, the growth of our lawyers over time is paramount. Always staying ahead of and setting practice trends. Thank you.

Heather M

This auto accident law firm is incredible!! Very accomplished lawyers!

Response from the owner: Being labeled “an incredible lawyer” is quite the compliment. We are only incredible if this client is. Thanks.

Whitney L

Serious family member have a car accident injury? Look no further. This litigator is for real. Always two steps ahead of the other lawyer.

Response from the owner: This is a sad reality for car accident lawyers. The #1 passenger in an auto accident is a relative. Helping a family make it through this and putting the family back together is one of the most rewarding things I do as an automobile accident attorney.

RIcky P.

This lawyer handles really big accident cases in St Louis. He is a lawyer, accountant and has his masters in tax so he gets the injury cases for individuals that can never go back to work or individuals own a business and cannot run it due to injury. He specializes in valuations of massive loss. Thank goodness a firm like this exists.

Response from the owner: Thank you. When accident are severe and you lose the ability to work or to continue a business, having an accounting and tax background is key. Valuing large losses are second nature for us.

Kasandra H.

You are a great lawyer! Thank you.

Response from the owner: That is a great compliment. Thanks.

Brandon W.

Asked a trauma surgeon who operates on car accident victims who are the best injury lawyers that have taken his deposition. He said “by far” it was Mr Hoffmann. Interviewed several attorneys and this was a correct assessment. In a league of his own!

Response from the owner: Our attorney have deposed nearly all the trauma surgeons at every Level 1 Trauma Center in Saint Louis. These doctors save lives after a car accident. Whether controlling bleeding or reestablishing blood flow or bone structures, they are life savers.

Bethany

My aunt was in a major automobile accident. Our family interviewed several lawyers. This one stood out about them all. It was a great choice!

Response from the owner: Clients who call consistently say that no other lawyers explained the process like we do. Educated clients do not make mistakes regarding their claim and more importantly their treatment options after a car accident. Thanks. This takes effort and we do this whether we take the case or not. Victims deserve a helping hand.

Morgan B.

Few lawyers in St. Louis can handle the biggest injury cases! This is one of them!

Response from the owner: Our law firm has made great efforts in terms of training to handle life changing injury cases. Whether in depth knowledge of the medical, loss of income and earning capacity, or lifetime medical care plans, our clients feel confident and know their case is in good hands. Thank you for the compliment.

Ashley A.

Cannot say enough about this lawyer. Call if in an accident. This attorney handles the biggest car accidents in St Louis.

Response from the owner: Thanks Ash! Our biggest source of cases is our clients. Our second biggest referral source is defense lawyers telling their relatives to call us. Few lawyers can handle the largest cases. Our law firm welcomes and has trained for this. We don’t do mass production settlement like the lawyers on TV. Our clients can never go back to work. Their cases need massive focus and effort and often long fought litigation.

Taylor T.

So glad I called attorney Hoffmann. This time I got it right! So glad I hired the Hoffmann Law Firm - professional, reliable and available.

Response from the owner: Thanks Taylor. Our lawyers answer the phone day, night, weekends and even during lunch. Being professional means training to beat the best defense lawyers. Client rely on us to get results and we do.

Malashia M.

Great lawyer. Cares about his clients, knows his stuff and goes the extra mile. I recommend this lawyer for car wreck injury claim. Every other lawyer on TV would not even help with my property claim. This attorney did.

Response from the owner: Thank you for the kind words. Every case starts with a great client. You are correct the car accident lawyers on TV are mass production settlement mills. When injury clients fire them, we get their files and the cases are not worked up at all. Appreciate your confidence in us!

Pringles Master 2

Major car accident injury in St Louis area for a family member. Four different lawyers we know said the same thing - call Chris Hoffmann. On another level.

Response from the owner: This is such a great compliment. Most of our cases come from prior client or lawyers that also do car accidents cases but the particular case is too large or too difficult. Being a lawyer and an accountant, we specialize in cases with total lost of income, earning capacity and/or often the inability to continue a family business. Evaluations such as these are second nature for our lawyers. Thanks.

andry S.

Best in St Louis for auto accident cases. Nobody else is even close.

Response from the owner: So kind of you to leave this review. Whether our lawyers are going after big insurance or their lawyers, skill and experience are essential and win the day for our auto accident clients. Thanks!

Daniel C.

This attorney is very smart, very experienced, returns phone calls and knows the answers when asked. One call and I knew this was a great law firm for auto accidents.

Response from the owner: Our law firm appreciates this. This is a comment we get from so many people who call…”none of the lawyers we called told me all the things that you did.” Whether we take a car accident case or not, helping people is a good thing.

JILL F.

5 Star Lawyer for sure! Best you will find in Saint Louis.

Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5 Star Rating. Reviews like this are great. Injury victims quickly figure out the TV advertisers are not good. We work hard at being the best we can be and it reflects in our representation of car accident victims.

Angela

Watch this lawyer in action. Was way better than all the others. Get this lawyer for an automobile accident for sure.

Response from the owner: Thanks for the recommendation. Besides doing cases, our attorneys train for this. Hard work, case knowledge and technique is key to success in car accident litigation.

Michelle S.

Very pleased with The Hoffmann Law Firm. Lawyers are attentive, friendly and go the distance to force the settlement you want. The TV lawyers recommend low offers. This law firm gets the maximum.

Response from the owner: We get calls from car accident victims that had to fire the TV lawyers that they hired. They give the same two reasons: 1) they never spoke to a lawyer at the Big TV law firms, only a paralegal, and 2) the paralegal recommended they accept a low offer. At our law firm, you only talk to the lawyer and if an offer is low we tell you to sue. Thanks!

Called Kingdom Nations Prophetic M.

Causes of Left Turn Intersection Accidents

Even with traffic lights in place, speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving, and even human error can all cause major intersection accidents. Left-hand turn maneuvers are all the more dangerous as they involve multiple lanes of traffic coming from two different directions. If you were injured in such an accident, you probably never even saw it coming.

Why Are Left Turns So Dangerous?

Left turns are considered dangerous due to several factors:

Sudden Stops

One of the biggest dangers of making a left turn is that you may have to stop unexpectedly. This can be due to several reasons, such as another car unexpectedly pulling out in front of you or a pedestrian walking into the crosswalk. Sudden stops can lead to confusion or cause you to lose control of your car, increasing the risk of an accident.

Blind Turns

Another danger of left turns is blind spots. As anyone who has ever driven knows, blind spots are areas on the road where you can’t see what’s happening around you. This presents a major risk when making left turns, as other cars traveling at high speeds may be in your blind spot and thus invisible to you. This can lead to serious accidents, especially when turning onto a busy street.

Fortunately, you can take certain safety precautions to reduce the risks associated with left-turn-related blind spots. This includes using turn signals more carefully or increasing following distances between vehicles to increase reaction time if another car does appear unexpectedly in your blind spot. You can also take extra care by merging over slightly further from the center line before beginning your turn. This can help minimize the chances you’ll veer too far out into traffic once you start turning.

Inability to Judge Speed

When making a right turn, you can usually tell how fast oncoming traffic moves. However, judging the speed of oncoming traffic when turning left can be more difficult. Misjudging the speed and turning it into oncoming traffic can lead to an accident.

Poor Vantage Point

When making a right turn, you have a good vantage point of oncoming traffic. However, other cars or obstacles often obscure your vantage point when turning left. This makes it more difficult to see oncoming traffic, which can result in an accident.

Unfamiliar Intersections

Another danger of left turns is that they often involve unfamiliar intersections. This means that you may not know the layout of the intersection or what type of traffic pattern to expect. This can lead to confusion and accidents.

Traffic Lights

Left turns also often involve waiting at red lights, further obscuring your view of oncoming traffic. And if the light turns green while you’re still waiting to turn, oncoming traffic may start moving before you can see it, which can lead to an accident.

Who Is At Fault?

Generally, the driver attempting a left turn is found at fault because that driver must give the right of way to oncoming vehicles and ensure enough space to make the full turn without interrupting traffic flow. However, this rule has some exceptions, and sometimes, it is very difficult to prove fault. Here are a few accident scenarios in which the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident can also be partially or completely at fault.

The driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident ran a red light or was speeding at the time of the accident.
The other driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs when the accident occurred. However, it would have to be proven by blood alcohol concentration tests.
The other driver broke traffic laws immediately before the accident occurred.
The other driver indulged in distracted driving, such as mobile phone use.
The other motorist did not have a valid driver’s license when the accident occurred.

Safely Making a Left-Hand Turn

Here are some tips to help a driver avoid a left-turn accident.

Yield the right of way to traffic.
Ensure no bicycles, vehicles, or pedestrians are in your path.
Signal your intent to turn at least 150 feet in advance.
Be extremely cautious.

The summer months are the most dangerous months to be on the roads. This time is sometimes referred to as ‘left-turn accident season’ and with good cause. In the summer, more vehicles are on the roads, increasing the chances of two vehicles colliding. The heat can cause drivers to become fatigued more easily. Additionally, the heat can cause tempers to fray, and people may drive more aggressively. The number of drunk drivers on our roads also increases in the sunnier weather. The number of motorcycles and bicycles on the roads also rises, so accidents are bound to happen.

Why ‘left-turn accident season’?

This time of year is known as left-turn accident season because when a car makes a left turn, it can be easy to miss seeing a biker or a cyclist coming across the opposite intersection if the driver is not paying full attention. Of course, it could also be a car, van, or truck, but these are easier to spot. More often than not, motorcycles and bicycles are involved in these accidents.

Injuries from Left Turn Intersection Accidents

Broken bones, neck injuries, and brain trauma are all common injuries associated with left-hand turn accidents. Recovery time could be long, with large medical bills to show for it. In addition, you may be facing years or even a lifetime of continued care for a grave injury. Our law firm helps by projecting the estimated cost of that care and seeing that it is included in your car accident claim.

Automatic Liability?

Left-turn accidents do not automatically result in liability for the defendant. The defendant can use the issue of contributory negligence to defend cases where the defendant made a left turn in front of an oncoming vehicle. The various ways the plaintiff can be considered negligent are when they are speeding, they could have slowed down, or when the other driver nearly cleared the intersection when the crash occurred.

The above-mentioned defenses can increase the amount of fault allocated to the victim and decrease the defendant’s fault. This can significantly affect the amount of damages that can be recovered.

Free Consultation with a St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer

Don’t let the fear of being found to blame force you into a settlement without first speaking with a lawyer who has extensive experience with car accident claims. With intersection cameras and access to traffic light patterns, our firm has great success in proving negligence in left-hand turn accident claims. If you were injured or lost a family member in a car accident due to a negligent driver, call our 24-hour legal help number at (314) 361-4242 or toll-free (866) 763-6433.

Free Consultation (314) 361-4242

Frequently Asked Questions: Left-Hand Turn Accidents in St. Louis

Who is at fault in a left-turn accident?

✓

In most cases, the driver making the left turn is presumed to be at fault. However, there are exceptions, such as when the oncoming driver runs a red light or is speeding. Each case is unique and requires careful investigation.

How can I win a left-turn accident case?

✓

To win a left turn accident case, you’ll need to prove the other driver was at fault or shared fault. This may involve gathering evidence such as traffic camera footage, witness statements, and expert testimony. An experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer can help build a strong case.

What if I’m partly at fault for a left-hand turn accident?

✓

Missouri follows a “pure comparative fault” rule. This means you can still recover damages even if you’re partly at fault, but your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you’re found 20% at fault, you’ll receive 80% of the total damages.

Are left-hand turn accidents always the fault of the turning driver?

✓

No, while the turning driver is often at fault, there are situations where the other driver may be fully or partially responsible. Examples include speeding, running a red light, or driving under the influence.

What evidence is important in a left turn accident case?

✓

Key evidence can include police reports, witness statements, traffic camera footage, skid mark analysis, and vehicle damage. Your St. Louis car accident attorney will help gather and analyze all relevant evidence to support your case.