Left turn crashes are one of the most common crashes that trucks are involved in and they are almost always totally preventable if a truck driver uses reasonable care. Because of their size, weight and slow acceleration, it takes trucks much longer to turn left than it takes a car. To turn safely there has to be a much bigger gap.
The CDL Manual, the industry manual that drivers study to get their CDL license, contains a serious warning about left turns..
"Before you start across the road, make sure you can get all the way across before traffic reaches you."
Truck drivers who don’t follow this rule are really big bullies on the road. They think just because they are bigger, that other drivers should give way to them. I've litigated many left turn accidents and they are all the more sad because they are totally preventable.
I've battled some of the most powerful trucking companies to obtain justice for victims of catastrophic injuries or wrongful death. As a former police officer, I rely on my investigative and forensic skills in combination with cutting-edge work in psychodrama and communication theories to find the truth behind every case. I'm a board member of the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, and I was the first lawyer in Georgia certified by APITL America as a specialist in handling truck accident cases. I'm also an officer in the Interstate Trucking Litigation Group (ITLG) and founding member of the Truck Accident Attorneys Roundtable.
Content by Joe Fried mylawyerjoe@gmail.com