I was recently in a Car accident where a driver was using the special left turn lane as I was exiting a parking lot

Question

One this day it was very sunny and dry, I was stopped at a parking lot exit waiting for southbound lane traffic to allow me to turn on to a special left lane turn so I could merge on to the northbound lanes on the other side, the traffic on the southbound lanes stopped and wave me on to get on the turn lane which I did but just as I was turning on the turn lane another car was traveling down the lane at about 25 mph and hit me in the front bumper, the police immediately came ( as the police station was literally across the street)  and handled everything pretty well, I was left with a chest contusion and the other guy was given a ticket for misuse of the turn lane. 
 
Now today I talked to the other guys insurance and they say they arent at fault and that he had the right of way despite the police report of the guy traveling down the turn lane at 25 mph just to get into the same parking lot I was exiting and that they are going to have a judge throw away the ticket, can they do that?

Joanne Reisman · Answer

You are getting the run around because you don't have an Attorney representing you.  Yes, absolutely your have the right to turn in the middle turn lane and other drivers can only use that lane to start and finish turns, not for direct travel.  That's why the guy got the ticket.  But nothing I will say will prevent you from getting the run around EXCEPT hiring an Attorney.  I just don't understand why people even hesitate to get an Attorney.  Almost every single Attorney will take these cases on a contingency which means you pay nothing up front.  Personal Injury Attorneys have years of experience dealing with these insurance company shenanigans.  There is absolutely no duty for the other driver's insurance to treat you fairly.  In fact, their primary goal is to limit how much they pay out on claims and that is how they make money.   But an experienced PI Attorney know the law better then you do and knows how to corner the insurance company and stop the games and get you a fair settlement.  You will of course pay a fee to the Attorney out of your settlement but its absolutely worth it to get good representation.  Here's a little exercise you can do.  Look up the net worth of the insurance company you are dealing with.  That is how much money that company has to put into fighting with you.  I kid you not.  They spend more fighting claims than they would have paid out sometimes.  Why?  Because they want everyone after that to take the paltry low ball offers they make because if that means thousands of claim fold easily and cheaply, then investing money in a small percentage has a big payoff.  GET A GOOD PI ATTORNEY AND DON'T LOOK BACK.

Vincent J. Bernabei · Answer

The ticket was for a traffic infraction and cannot be used to prove fault.  Even so, the other driver's insurance company is bluffing.  You should arrange for your insurance company to pay all of your medical expenses and lost wages, if any.  You should contact an attorney who can assist you in obtaining reasonable compensation for your injuries and damages.  Most attorneys will handle this type of claim on a contingent fee, which means you don't have to pay any attorney fees unless you receive some monetary award.

Q: I was recently in a Car accident where a driver was using the special left turn lane as I was exiting a parking lot