You were riding through an intersection when an oncoming driver began turning left across your lane.
Maybe you saw the car move and tried to brake. Maybe you swerved but had nowhere to go. Or maybe the turn happened so quickly that the front or side of the vehicle was suddenly directly in your path.
Now your motorcycle is damaged, you are dealing with injuries and medical treatment, and you want to know why the driver turned when you were already approaching.
Pennsylvania has a specific right-of-way rule for drivers making left turns. That rule is an important starting point after a motorcycle crash involving a car turning across the rider's lane, but determining responsibility still depends on what happened in the moments before the collision. The distance between the vehicles, the speed and position of each, the traffic signal, visibility, and what the rider and turning driver did can all become important.
What Does Pennsylvania Law Require From a Driver Turning Left?
Pennsylvania law requires a driver intending to turn left within an intersection, into a driveway, or into a private road or alley to yield the right-of-way to an oncoming vehicle that is close enough to constitute a hazard.
That rule applies whether the approaching vehicle is a car, truck, or motorcycle. Pennsylvania law also requires a driver to make a turn only when the movement can be made with reasonable safety and to give the required turn signal.
For a motorcyclist traveling straight through an intersection, the practical question is often whether the turning driver had enough time and distance to wait for the motorcycle to pass before beginning the turn.
If the motorcycle was close enough that turning across its lane created a collision hazard, the driver's obligation to yield becomes central to determining how the crash happened.
Is the Left-Turning Driver Automatically Responsible?
Not necessarily.
The fact that one vehicle was turning left and the motorcycle was traveling straight is important, but it does not eliminate the need to examine the circumstances.
Where was your motorcycle when the driver started turning? How quickly was the car moving through the turn? Was there a traffic signal or left-turn arrow? Was another vehicle blocking the driver's view? Did the driver hesitate and then accelerate across your lane?
The answers can show whether the driver began the turn when there was not enough room to complete it safely.
They can also help answer a common question after these crashes: Could the driver have seen your motorcycle before beginning the turn?
That question should be answered with evidence rather than assumptions about what the rider or turning driver must have seen.
What If the Driver Says They Never Saw Your Motorcycle?
A driver might tell police or an insurance company that the motorcycle seemed to appear suddenly or that they did not see it before turning.
That explanation does not by itself establish that the motorcyclist was responsible.
The investigation can look at the driver's actual opportunity to see the motorcycle. That can include the distance down the roadway, lighting and weather, the position of other vehicles, buildings or vegetation near the intersection, the driver's line of sight, and where the motorcycle was located as the turn began.
The driver's own actions can matter too.
Did the driver look toward oncoming traffic before turning? Did they begin moving after another vehicle passed but fail to account for the motorcycle behind it? Were they trying to turn through a gap in traffic? Did they stop partway through the turn and leave the vehicle blocking the motorcycle's lane?
Those details provide a much clearer picture than simply accepting that the driver "didn't see" the motorcycle.
What If the Driver Says You Were Speeding?
Speed can become a disputed issue after a motorcycle collision.
The turning driver or an insurance company might argue that the motorcycle was traveling too fast for the driver to judge whether there was enough time to turn.
That allegation matters only to the extent the evidence supports it.
Pennsylvania requires drivers to travel at a reasonable and prudent speed for existing conditions, including when approaching and crossing an intersection. But an allegation that a motorcycle was speeding should not be treated as established merely because the collision was severe or the driver says the motorcycle approached quickly.
Evidence such as video, physical damage, roadway marks, witness accounts, electronic information when available, and accident-reconstruction analysis can help evaluate the vehicles' movements before impact.
When Pennsylvania's comparative-negligence law applies, a motorcyclist's own negligence can reduce a recovery. If the rider's negligence is greater than the causal negligence of the defendant or defendants from whom recovery is sought, recovery can be barred.
That makes it important to determine what the evidence actually shows about speed and other riding conduct rather than assuming that the left-turning driver bears all responsibility or that the rider necessarily shares fault.
What Evidence Can Show How the Left-Turn Collision Happened?
Intersection crashes can unfold in seconds, and the physical scene can change quickly after emergency responders arrive and damaged vehicles are removed.
If your condition allows, information worth preserving can include:
- Photographs of the motorcycle, other vehicle, and damage to each.
- Photographs or video of the intersection and the direction each vehicle was traveling.
- Traffic signals, signs, lane markings, and turn lanes.
- Names and contact information for witnesses.
- Dashcam, helmet-camera, or other available video.
- Nearby business, residential, or traffic-camera footage.
- Police reports and identifying information for the other driver.
- Medical records and discharge instructions.
- Photographs documenting your injuries and recovery.
- Records showing missed work and other financial effects of the crash.
Other information may need to be obtained before it is overwritten, lost, or no longer available.
Depending on the collision, that can include surveillance recordings, vehicle electronic data, phone records when legally relevant and obtainable, traffic-signal information, or measurements and photographs needed to evaluate sight distance and vehicle position.
At Dallas W. Hartman P.C., we can help identify what evidence may exist and take steps to preserve or obtain information that can help reconstruct the collision.
Could the Intersection Itself Have Affected What Happened?
Sometimes the movements of the two vehicles tell most of the story. In other crashes, the intersection deserves a closer look.
A driver waiting to turn left may have had their view partially blocked by another vehicle. A crest, curve, roadside obstruction, construction activity, or unusual intersection layout may also affect what each person could see.
Those conditions do not automatically transfer responsibility away from the turning driver.
Instead, they can help establish the circumstances the driver faced when deciding whether it was safe to turn and whether the driver should have waited for a clearer view.
The same is true of traffic signals. If the intersection had a dedicated left-turn arrow, investigators need to determine what signal each direction displayed when the vehicles entered the intersection rather than assuming which driver had the right-of-way.
Photographs, video, witness accounts, signal information, and the physical layout of the intersection can help answer those questions.
Why Do Left-Turn Motorcycle Crashes Need a Close Look at the Impact?
Where the motorcycle and vehicle collided can help explain the sequence of events.
For example, damage to the front of the motorcycle and the passenger side of the turning vehicle can be consistent with a vehicle crossing the rider's path, but damage patterns should be considered together with the rest of the evidence.
The motorcycle's final position, vehicle debris, roadway marks, and where the other vehicle stopped can also help reconstruct movement through the intersection.
This is one reason it can be important not to rely only on a driver's statement that there was enough time to turn or a rider's recollection of exactly how far away the vehicle was.
After a sudden collision, precise distances and timing can be difficult for anyone to estimate. Physical and electronic evidence can help fill in those details.
What Should You Do After a Left-Turn Motorcycle Crash?
Your medical care comes first.
Follow the treatment and follow-up instructions you receive, and keep records of appointments, diagnoses, medications, physical restrictions, therapy, and other care connected to the crash.
Preserve photographs of the motorcycle before it is repaired or disposed of if you can do so safely. Keep your helmet and other damaged riding gear rather than throwing them away. Save communications relating to the collision and write down what you remember about the traffic signal, the other vehicle's movement, your position, and what happened immediately before impact.
If you know that a nearby business, home, or vehicle may have recorded the crash, identifying that source early can also be important because recordings are not necessarily kept indefinitely.
You do not need to determine fault by yourself. The goal is to preserve the information that can later help establish what happened.
Injured When a Driver Turned Left in Front of Your Motorcycle in Western Pennsylvania?
A left-turn motorcycle crash can leave you knowing exactly what you experienced: you were traveling forward, another vehicle began crossing your lane, and suddenly there was not enough road left to avoid the collision.
Determining legal responsibility requires a closer look at why the driver turned, where each vehicle was when the turn began, what the traffic signals showed, whether either vehicle's speed contributed, and what the physical and electronic evidence establishes.
At Dallas W. Hartman P.C., we represent motorcyclists injured in collisions throughout Western Pennsylvania. We can investigate the intersection and the vehicles' movements, work to preserve video and other evidence, evaluate claims about speed or visibility, identify the insurance coverage involved, and explain the legal options available based on the facts of your crash.
If a driver turned left across your path and you were injured, contact Dallas W. Hartman P.C. to discuss what happened and learn more about the options that may be available to you.
Disclaimer: Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances. The articles on this blog are for informational purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.