Intersections are the most common site for car accidents in Austin and elsewhere. Confusing intersection designs, heavy traffic conditions, and drivers who fail to yield the right of way due to aggressive driving or a lack of understanding of the rules of right of way make intersections dangerous for drivers and pedestrians. Unsafe and illegal U-turns are significant sources of intersection car accidents in Austin. A U-turn is a U-shaped driving maneuver motorists use to turn around, most often due to a missed turn. Making a U-turn always presents an accident risk, but in many cases, U-turns are also illegal.
What Causes U-Turn Accidents In Austin?
A U-turn is an acceptable way to turn around when carefully executed by a vigilant driver in places where U-turns are legal; however, if a driver doesn’t exercise proper caution or fails to follow the traffic laws and posted signs, the result can be a dangerous or deadly collision. Common causes of U-turn accidents In Austin and elsewhere include the following:
- Disregarding posted “No-U-turn” signs
- Failure to yield the right of way (making a U-turn into approaching traffic)
- Misjudging the speed or distance of traffic
- Obstructed vision
- Making a sudden U-turn
- Failing to use a turn signal
Using a signal light before making a U-turn does not always adequately prevent accidents since it may be misconstrued by other drivers as a left-turn signal.
When a driver’s abrupt decision to make a U-turn or other unsafe U-turn maneuver causes a car accident, the Austin car accident victim has a right to compensation for their damages under the comparative negligence insurance system in Texas.
Determining Liability In Austin U-Turn Accidents
A driver making a U-turn has the responsibility to yield the right of way to traffic. If a driver makes a U-turn into oncoming traffic and causes a collision, they are responsible for the damages even in places that allow U-turns. Drivers making U-turns in places with posted signs prohibiting U-turns are at fault for an accident in a collision. Proving liability for a U-turn accident in Austin requires showing evidence of the following:
- The driver owed a duty of care to others on the road
- They breached this duty of reasonable care by acting negligently
- Their breach of duty caused the accident and injuries
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
Making an illegal or unsafe U-turn is negligence. Under the Texas comparative negligence insurance law, the driver is responsible for damages through their insurance.
What Damages Can I Recover From a U-Turn Accident In Austin?
Depending on the severity of the accident, an injury victim could face economic consequences ranging from a missed paycheck and a single emergency room bill to a lifetime of to expenses due disability and an inability to return to work. Common damages recovered in U-turn accident claims in Austin include the following:
- Property damage
- Medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Future income loss
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for other damages that could apply in individual cases, such as the loss of one of the senses, traumatic limb loss, organ loss, PTSD, or diminished quality of life
If a loved one dies due to another driver’s unsafe U-turn, family members could recover compensation through an Austin wrongful death lawsuit.
How Can a Car Accident Lawyer In Austin Help?
Even when liability seems clear because a driver made an illegal or unsafe U-turn, insurance companies in Texas often assign injury victims a portion of responsibility for an accident to reduce the compensation they pay out on a claim. Call Shaw Cowart, LLP for representation to protect against this and other common tactics insurance companies use to protect their profits at your expense.