Hit by a Driver Making a Left Turn in Massachusetts?
A left turn car accident in Massachusetts often starts with a simple fact: one driver was going straight, walking, biking, riding a motorcycle, or moving through an intersection, and another driver turned left across that path.
The legal and insurance fight can become less simple. The turning driver may say the other person was speeding, hard to see, outside the lane, crossing late, or came out of nowhere. Video from nearby businesses, traffic cameras, dashcams, or homes may disappear before anyone asks for it.
Gavagan Law is a Boston personal injury lawyer based in Dorchester and represents injured people throughout Massachusetts. For someone looking for a Dorchester car accident lawyer after this kind of crash, the question is whether the left turn could be made safely, what evidence still exists, and how the insurance company is framing fault.
Quick Answer:
- Left-turn crashes often turn on right of way and whether the turn could be made safely.
- Massachusetts law requires a left-turning driver to yield before turning across oncoming traffic.
- A driver who failed to yield while making a left turn may face a fault dispute with the injured person and the insurance company.
- Useful evidence includes surveillance footage, witnesses, traffic signals, vehicle damage, roadway layout, and accident reports.
- Gavagan Law works to obtain any video, identify witnesses, evaluate insurance coverage, and build the strongest possible claim for full compensation.
Why Left-Turn Accidents Are Often Disputed
A left-turn crash often happens in a moment where both sides believe they had a reason to keep moving. One driver may be waiting for a gap while another vehicle, pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcyclist is already approaching through the intersection.
After the crash, the turning driver may say there was enough time to turn. The injured person may remember the opposite: the car turned in front of them with no meaningful chance to avoid impact.
These cases should not be reduced to “he said, she said.” The facts can often be tested against traffic signals, point of impact, vehicle damage, skid marks, lane markings, witness statements, and video. When an insurer claims the injured person was speeding, hard to see, or partly at fault, Gavagan Law gathers evidence about visibility, lane position, right of way, driver conduct, and crash mechanics.
Massachusetts Left-Turn Law and Right of Way
Under M.G.L. c. 89, Section 8, a driver intending to turn left across the path or lane of vehicles approaching from the opposite direction must yield the right of way until the left turn can be made with reasonable safety.
In plain English, a driver turning left cannot cut across oncoming traffic simply because there is a gap. The operator of the vehicle must use reasonable care and wait until the turn can be made safely.
Many left-turn crashes are also failure-to-yield accidents because the turning driver crossed the path of someone who had the right of way.
That rule matters, but it does not automatically answer every crash. Signal timing, speed, visibility, lane position, red lights, stop signs, turn signals, and driver statements can all affect fault.
Massachusetts comparative fault law can also matter if the insurance company argues that the injured person was partly responsible for the crash. Under M.G.L. c. 231, Section 85, any compensation can be reduced by the injured person’s percentage of fault. If the injured person is found more at fault than the person or people being sued [60/40], they may be barred from any recovery. Importantly, the party making that argument has the burden of proving it.
That is one reason evidence matters early. Gavagan Law focuses on the details that matter most, including signal timing, lane position, point of impact, driver statements, and whether the left turn could actually be made safely.
When the Insurance Company Blames the Injured Person
Insurance companies often focus on anything that can reduce the left-turning driver’s responsibility. The at-fault driver’s insurance company, insurance adjusters, or even the injured person’s own insurer may argue that the injured person was:
- speeding
- trying to beat a yellow light
- distracted
- hard to see
- outside the proper lane
- crossing too late
- partly responsible for the crash
Some issues may be real factual disputes, while others may be attempts by the insurance company to shift blame away from the driver who turned left. In a disputed left-turn car accident claim, Gavagan Law responds to comparative negligence arguments by reviewing the police report, crash diagram, signal timing, witness accounts, vehicle damage, available video, and other evidence that can show whether the left turn could actually be made safely.
Evidence That Can Help Prove How the Crash Happened
Left-turn crashes are evidence cases. A police report may be useful, but it may not include every witness, vehicle position, or signal issue.
Evidence can include:
- surveillance footage from nearby businesses, homes, apartments, schools, or parking lots
- dashcam, rideshare, delivery, bus, or commercial vehicle footage
- witness names and statements
- traffic signals, turn arrows, and crosswalk signals
- police reports, the accident report, statements to a police officer
- photos of vehicle damage, impact location, skid marks, and final positions
- roadway layout, lane markings, and lighting
- cell phone or app records if distraction, rideshare status is disputed
- medical records, emergency room notes, treatment notes
This evidence can show whether the left-turning driver had enough time and visibility to make the turn safely and can answer claims about speed, lane position, or visibility.
Gavagan Law works to locate and preserve this evidence early so the case is not limited to the turning driver’s first explanation or the insurer’s initial fault decision.
Serious Injuries, Medical Bills, and Damages After a Left-Turn Crash
A serious left-turn car accident can affect far more than the vehicles involved. When one driver turns across another person’s path, the impact can cause neck and back injuries, shoulder injuries, fractures, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, and other injuries that require emergency care, ongoing treatment, time away from work, or long-term medical follow-up.
The value of the claim depends on the injury, the treatment, the effect on the person’s work and daily life, the strength of the evidence, and the available insurance coverage. Gavagan Law uses medical records, bills, work restrictions, wage-loss documentation, and treatment history to show the full impact of the crash, including medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and long-term losses.
