On July 5 at 6:20 PM, the Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 20 at milepost 75.
The early investigation showed that a Dodge Ram 1500, driven by Corey Brett, 51, was driving westbound on Highway 20 when it turned left into the path of a Nissan Rouge, driven by Kaitlyn Allen, 20.
First responders took Allen to a local hospital where she died. Brett was uninjured in the crash.
The Danger of Making Left Turns
Everyone felt the anxiety of making a left turn across traffic before the signal changes. Unfortunately, some left-hand turns turn into tragic death accidents, as appears to be the case in the accident above in Linn County.
Studies from the NHTSA show that 35% of all car accidents happen at intersections. At least 480,000 of those involved a driver turning left. The most common causes for left-turn crashes in the study were:
- View was obstructed while turning
- Driving into a blind spot
- Misjudgment of the other car’s speed
- Miscalculating the distance across the intersection
- Illegal driving, such as failure to yield right of way
Making left turns across highways also can be highly dangerous. Cars are usually moving at 55 MPH or faster. If the turning driver does not see the oncoming car or misjudges the speed, disaster can happen.
Legal Talk
From a legal perspective, it is important to note that drivers turning left do not have the right of way in most cases. So, they must wait for traffic to pass before the go left. When a crash occurs, it is usually the left-turning driver who was at fault.
If your loved one is hit by a left-turning driver and dies, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against that driver. In most cases, your wrongful death attorney will attempt to settle with the insurance company of the negligent driver.
If your attorney can prove that the other driver was negligent, such as with a police report and a subsequent legal investigation showing the driver was on his cell phone at the time of the crash, your family could be entitled to compensation for the devastating loss of your loved one.
Contact Wrongful Death Attorney at Herron Law Firm
Talk to the Herron Law Firm right away if you lose a loved one in an accident where another person may have been negligent. We have the experience and the resources to prove negligence and can get you the compensation you need to get on with your life.