Left-Turn Accidents in Charlotte, NC
Were you injured in a left-turn accident in Charlotte, North Carolina? You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. A Charlotte car accident lawyer from Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers will stand up to your insurer to prove liability so that you can receive fair compensation.
Our Charlotte personal injury attorneys have 32 years of legal experience representing car accident victims. Since founding the firm, we have successfully recovered over $35 million in financial compensation for our injured clients.
Contact our law office today at (704) 980-9999 to schedule a free consultation with a Charlotte left-turn accident lawyer.
How Chandler Volta Can Help After a Left-Turn Accident in Charlotte, NC
After you get injured in a crash caused by someone else’s negligent driving, our Charlotte car accident attorneys can provide the following legal services:
- Listening to your explanation of what occurred and explaining your legal options
- Preparing an insurance claim by gathering accident reports and medical records
- Negotiating with the other driver’s auto insurer to resolve your claim without litigation
- Filing a lawsuit if the insurance company refuses a fair settlement
Members of our legal team have been recognized by Super Lawyers, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and other prestigious legal organizations.
Contact Chandler Volta to schedule a free consultation with a Charlotte personal injury lawyer to discuss your crash and the compensation you may be entitled to seek under North Carolina law.
Left-Turn Collision Statistics in North Carolina
In 2023, investigating officers identified over 10,700 traffic crashes that occurred in North Carolina due to improper turns.
These crashes included the following:
- 9 fatal crashes
- 2,504 non-fatal injury crashes
The total number of reportable crashes in North Carolina in 2023 is 285,157 accidents.
How Left-Turn Accidents Happen
Left-turn accidents can happen at intersections or on roadways. A common scenario involving left turn crashes occurs when an impatient driver turns left without waiting for a gap in traffic large enough for their vehicle.
Left-turn crashes also happen when drivers disobey turn signals. At ordinary traffic signals, drivers making left turns must yield the right-of-way to drivers proceeding straight through the intersection. Even when the light turns yellow, the driver going straight still has the right of way. Drivers who fail to yield as instructed can get hit when making a left turn.
However, drivers going straight must yield to those turning left at protected left-turn signals. Crashes at these signals can happen when drivers fail to yield to the vehicles making a left turn.
Finally, at mid-block alleys and driveways, drivers can only turn left when a gap opens in traffic. Crashes in these locations occur when the turning driver fails to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic.
Liability for Left-Turn Crashes
These accidents can result from many driving behaviors, including distracted driving, impatience, and carelessness. Determining liability for these crashes depends on negligence law. Negligence means that a driver failed to exercise reasonable care. In other words, the driver failed to drive with the same caution expected of an ordinary driver.
Negligence can occur when drivers violate traffic laws. For example, suppose an accident happens when a driver going straight runs a red light and hits a driver turning left. In this case, the driver going straight was negligent because they disobeyed the signal.
These crashes can also happen when drivers do something dangerous, even if they did not necessarily commit a traffic violation. Thus, a driver might make a left turn in front of an approaching vehicle because they were distracted while programming their navigation system. The driver might not receive a traffic ticket for the crash, but they are still liable.
In some cases, both drivers may bear some liability. For example, a driver proceeding straight through an intersection might accelerate to make a yellow light. Another driver turning left might proceed when they see the yellow light. In this case, both drivers may receive a share of the fault for the accident.
Contact Our Charlotte Left-Turn Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
You are entitled to pursue accident compensation when someone else’s careless driving results in financial costs, pain, and suffering. Contact Chandler Volta for a free consultation with a Charlotte left-turn accident attorney to discuss your injuries and how we can recover compensation for your injury-related losses.