If a semi truck makes a left turn from the center lane of a 3 lane one way road onto a one lane one way road and a car is hit by his left rear trailer tire while in the left lane who is at fault?

Answer 1

That depends... I drive truck. To answer this correctly I need to ask two questions. Was the two vehicles traveling on an open highway or designated freeway? Or, Were the two vehicles sitting at an intersection waiting for the green light? If they were traveling on an open highway the truck should have signaled his intentions and moved over to the left lane when it was safe to do so. Now.... most of the time, a truck will signal a lane change and any cars traveling in that lane will sneak up next to his rear wheels. The truck who is already commited to the lane change may or may not see the car. So, the car is At Fault. The second scenario is just as complicated. The truck has to be in the farthest lane from the turn to make the turn without running over the sidewalk. If the truck was making a left turn and the car came up alongside to make a left turn also, again the car could be made accountable. But most likely the truck will be held at fault because he should have been paying attention to the turning side of his vehicle. Especially the left side since he does not need his mirrors to see what's on that side of the truck.