Q: I would like to know if a driver is at fault for hitting a pedestrian turning out into traffic.
I am a 17 year old son of a mother who had recently been in a collision with a minor on a bike. The minor turned in front of her vehicle -while she turned into the lane she had waited legally for traffic to allow- from the blind spot made by an adjacent vehicle the minor was biking next to. The boy at seemed completely fine, and when an officer arrived to the scene of my mother sobbing about hitting a child, the officer evaluated the situation and said she was not at fault. My mother has since been a target for liability from her car insurance agency for the fact they claimed they would "conduct their own investigation" on the matter. Now, months after the incident, the family of the minor has an attorney, and is targeting my family for almost $200,000, claiming their child has suffered fractures. A separate officer concluded my mother was at fault, saying there was no vehicle blocking vision. I would like to add a nearby business had footage of the event, and gifted it to us as proof.
A:
No one could make a guess about who is at fault without reviewing all of the available evidence. However, fault isn't all or nothing. Everyone might have some proportional fault.
Your mother's insurance company owes her a defense and indemnity. It will appoint an attorney to defend her against these claims. The insurer will also pay any sums for which she is liable, up to policy limits. She needs to cooperate with her insurer. If an attorney hasn't been appointed yet, your mother should request one in writing.
Theodore Allan Greene agrees with this answer
A:
much more info needed.
her auto ins co will provide a defense and do their own investigation on liabililty. It may be 50-50 liability or 70-30.
cooperate with your ins co and be sure to give them video
A:
Traffic reports aren't dispositive, especially where both vehicles are moving.
A bicycle has the same rights as a vehicle in most states. Depending on who was at what point and at what time in the sequence can determine which operator owed the other a certain duty of care.
As the other two attorneys have mentioned, the insurance company for the vehicle will provide her with an attorney. She should avoid posting anything on social media and so should anyone in the family. Insurance companies' profit margin is affected by payouts--they have every interest in denycng the cyclist's claim. They owe your mom a duty to protect her so they may pay in order to get her a release.
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