Utah Law Talk

In what appears to be a recent rash of drivers failing to yield when making a left-hand turn, a passenger in a Chevy Trailblazer died in Taylorsville, Utah tonight, December 5, 2008, when the vehicle she was in collided with a truck. According to the Deseret News, police are saying that it appears that it appears that a truck attempted to turn left and the other vehicle crashed into it. The crash happened at the intersection of 6200 S. Redwood Road. The driver of the Trailblazer is in critical condition tonight. Two 13-year old girls in the back seat of the SUV were treated at Primary Children’s Hospital and, thankfully, they’re expected to make a full recovery. The driver of the turning truck is reported to be in serious condition. Police suspect alcohol played a role in causing the crash. Those who witnessed it are encouraged to call the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 801-743-7000.

As I mentioned, there has recently been a rash of car accidents in Salt Lake County where one motorist fails to yield when making a left-hand turn. Most notably was the crash a few days ago near Tooele, Utah, where UPS driver Alan Christofferson was killed when a dump truck loaded with mud turned left into his path.

Drunk driving may have also been to blame in this crash, according to police. Alcohol can impair a driver’s judgment when they are out on the road, leading to poor driving decisions. If the driver purchased their alcohol from a bar or tavern, then that establishment could also bear some of the blame for the crash.

The law in Utah, as well as in other states is clear: motorists turning left MUST yield the right away to other motorists so close as to constitute a hazard. Even if someone is out in the intersection waiting for traffic to clear and their light has turned red, they must wait until oncoming traffic has cleared before they make their turn. Those persons who are injured when the other motorist fails to yield, have a claim against the at-fault motorist.

Ron Kramer is a Utah personal injury attorney who spends a good portion of his time litigating car accident cases.

Published by: Ron Kramer

This entry was posted on Friday, December 5th, 2008 at 1:33 pm and is filed under Drunk Driving, Personal Injury, Vehicle Injury, Wrongful Death. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.