An intersection accident can suddenly and shockingly erupt without warning, transforming a standard drive into a horrific scene of twisted metal and confusion.
On Fresno’s busy streets, these collisions rank among the most complicated and destructive ones, often leaving victims not only physically injured but also emotionally disturbed and completely perplexed.
Whether it was a violent T-boning at a busy downtown crossing or a startling fender-bender at what seemed like a basic stop sign, if you have found yourself caught in such a dream, the immediate aftermath is pain, shock, and the difficult question: Who is at fault in an intersection accident?
From a driver blatantly running a red light to an improper turn or a sudden, unexpected maneuver, intersection collisions often involve multiple potential points of negligence, so the road to legal recovery feels difficult and isolating.
The confusion can be significant. Our Fresno car accident team at Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers knows how severely anxious you are.
We are committed to painstakingly separating the facts, unequivocally demonstrating fault, and obtaining the just compensation you are due so you may concentrate on recovery. At the same time, we advocate for your peace of mind.
How Fault Is Determined in an Intersection Collision
One of the most urgent questions following the confusion of an intersection accident is always: Who is at fault? In California, figuring out fault in these convoluted situations is difficult.
Our state uses pure comparative negligence.
This means that every party’s degree of fault is carefully balanced, and their decided percentage of responsibility will lower any damages they recover.
Often requiring a thorough investigation to identify what happened, fault in an intersection crash can rely on many essential elements.
Traffic Control Devices:
Red lights, green arrows, stop signs, and yield signs dictate who has the right of way.
Traffic Signal Timing and Malfunctions:
A malfunctioning light can cause a fault in the city if proper maintenance isn’t conducted.
Driver Actions:
Speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, or failure to yield when turning.
Road Markings and Signage:
Faded crosswalk lines or missing stop-ahead warnings can indicate municipal liability.
Visibility Issues:
Obstructed views from overgrown landscaping or blocked traffic signs can affect fault determinations.
Investigators reconstruct the collision, examining vehicle positions, skid marks, and control device states. Photo evidence, surveillance video, and witness statements combine to clarify who violated the law or failed to exercise due care.
Traffic Controls and Right-of-Way Rules
By their very nature, intersections are points of convergence—where paths cross and drivers must make quick, decisive decisions grounded in accepted norms.
These pivotal points, however, also allow a moment of inattention, a misjudgment, or an apparent contempt for traffic rules to cause an unexpected, catastrophic intersection accident.
For victims, the confusing question of who is at fault in an intersection accident when the rules seemed clear often accentuates their immediate shock from the impact.
First, one should pay great attention to these fundamental traffic rules and right-of-way guidelines since they usually help decide responsibility following an accident.
Red Light and Green Arrow Violations
A driver running a red light and causing a collision typically bears primary liability. However, in situations like a left-turn crash, the turning driver often has a green arrow, but must still yield to oncoming traffic. If an oncoming driver disregards a yellow or red signal, fault shifts to that driver.
Left-Turn Accidents:
The turning driver must yield to oncoming traffic when making a permissive left turn on a green light (no arrow). If they misjudge or fail to yield, they are at fault. Conversely, if an oncoming vehicle speeds through a yellow/red light, that vehicle bears legal responsibility.
Stop Sign and Yield Sign Crashes
At two-way or four-way stops, California Vehicle Code §21800 requires a driver at an intersection with a stop sign to come to a full stop and yield to vehicles that arrived first or are already in the intersection. A driver failing to stop or misjudging the sequence can trigger 50/50 fault or greater if they roll through the stop. Yield sign intersections carry similar yielding obligations—failure to yield can result in total liability.
Uncontrolled Intersections
When intersections lack traffic signals or signs, drivers must follow the “first come, first served” rule: the first vehicle to arrive and stop goes first. If two cars arrive simultaneously, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
Misapplication of these rules often leads to head-on or broadside collisions, with fault primarily on the driver who failed to yield.
Common Intersection Scenarios and Fault Allocation
1. T-Bone (Broadside) Collisions
T-bone accidents often occur when one vehicle enters an intersection improperly—running a red light or failing to yield on a left turn.
In these cases, the striking vehicle typically bears liability. However, shared fault can apply if the victim was speeding or entered on a stale green without caution.
2. Rear-End at an Intersection
Although rear-end accidents seldom happen at intersections, they occur when vehicles queue at lights or stop signs.
The trailing driver is usually at fault for not maintaining a safe distance.
If the lead vehicle stops abruptly without cause, such as swerving to avoid debris, fault may shift partially to that driver or even a third party responsible for the debris.
3. Right-of-Way Violations
Failure to yield when entering the intersection—on a right turn, left turn, or while proceeding straight through—often leads to collisions.
An example is a driver making an unprotected left turn on a green light, crashing into a through vehicle that has the right of way. In that scenario, the turning driver is at fault.
4. Pedestrian and Bicycle Collisions
Drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks per California Vehicle Code §21950.
Hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk typically assigns full fault to the driver.
Bicyclists on the road are entitled to lane usage; a motorist turning across a bike lane without checking properly can face full liability for a collision.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Intersection Collisions?
Understanding what leads to intersection crashes helps reveal fault and strengthens claims:
Distracted Driving:
Texting, eating, or adjusting infotainment systems diverts attention from traffic controls.
Speeding:
Excessive speed limits drivers’ reaction time to stop at lights or yield signs.
Impaired Driving:
Alcohol or drug impairment significantly increases the risk of misjudging signals or ignoring stop signs.
Aggressive Driving:
Trying to “beat” a yellow light or making unsafe lane changes can precipitate crashes.
Poor Visibility:
Low sun angles during dawn or dusk, fog, or blocked signage increase the chance of misreading signals.
Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that intersection accidents account for nearly 40% of urban crashes, often leading to severe injuries and wrongful death.
Common Injuries in Intersection Crashes
Intersection collisions—due to their variety of angles—can inflict a wide spectrum of injuries:
Whiplash and Soft-Tissue Trauma:
Minor T-bones or rear-end pileups at lights often cause strains and sprains requiring weeks of therapy. Our Bakersfield whiplash lawyer resources explain soft-tissue claim nuances.
Neck and Spinal Injuries:
Herniated discs or spinal fractures can emerge from high-impact broadside impacts. A spinal cord injury lawyer can help with catastrophic claims.
Head Injuries and Traumatic Brain Injury:
Drivers and passengers may strike their heads on windows, dashboards, or steering columns—often causing concussions or more serious TBIs.
Orthopedic Injuries:
Broken bones—arms, legs, pelvis—are common when intersection crashes crush vehicles or fold doors inward.
Internal Organ Damage:
Pancreatic, hepatic, or splenic lacerations from blunt force may not appear until hours later—prompt imaging is critical.
Wrongful Death:
In fatal intersections—especially those involving commercial trucks—a family may pursue a Fresno wrongful death attorney for lost support, funeral costs, and pain and suffering.
Given such severe injuries, our team coordinates with Fresno’s leading trauma surgeons, neurologists, and orthopedic specialists to document long-term care requirements vital to calculating full, fair damages.
Who Is at Fault If Someone Runs a Red Light and You Hit Them?
A classic intersection scenario: you have a green light, and another driver runs a red, crashing into you. In such cases, fault is typically straightforward—California Vehicle Code §21453 mandates stopping at a red light.
Nevertheless, liability can shift if:
Your Speed Exceeded Posted Limits:
If you were speeding through the green, your speeding can factor into shared fault.
Obstructed View:
Parked vehicles or construction barriers may hinder sightlines, partially excusing a driver’s failure to see the red light.
Malfunctioning Signal:
A stuck green arrow or unlit light could implicate municipal negligence for failing to maintain signals.
Establishing the driver’s red light violation, through traffic camera records or intersection witness statements, often anchors the liability argument.
Can an Intersection Accident Involving a T-Bone Assign Fault to Both Drivers?
Many T-bone (side-impact) collisions occur when one driver turns left across oncoming traffic on a green signal or proceeds straight while the other negligently enters the intersection on a red signal.
In a contested T-bone, investigators examine:
Signal Timing Diagrams:
Does an accompanying green arrow accompany a protected left turn? Or is it an unprotected left requiring yield?
Beeper/Black Box Data:
Late-model cars and commercial trucks record braking and steering inputs; this can show one driver attempted to brake but too late, or the other accelerated through a stale yellow.
Eyewitness Accounts:
Independent witnesses describing which car had the green light or failed to yield.
If the left-turning driver is on a permissive green (no arrow), they carry the primary duty to yield. However, they share significant blame if the straight-through driver ran a red light.
California’s comparative negligence system then allocates fault percentages—perhaps 70% to the left-turning driver and 30% to the red-light runner, depending on evidence.
Intersection Collisions with Pedestrians and Cyclists
Drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks (Vehicle Code §21950). Hitting a pedestrian who lawfully enters the crosswalk typically imposes full liability on the motorist.
For cyclists, who share lanes with cars in California, a driver turning across a bike lane without yielding is usually at fault.
Pedestrian Right of Way:
Pedestrians crossing on a green walk signal or at unsignalized corners have the right of way—drivers must stop, even if the pedestrian steps off the curb unexpectedly (California Vehicle Code §21950(b)).
Cyclist Collisions:
A driver making a right turn into a crosswalk without first checking the adjacent bike lane can be held negligent. Because cyclists have legal rights akin to vehicles, a motorist’s failure to properly scan for bicycles can lead to substantial liability.
By preserving photos of crosswalk markings and traffic signals, you can help your attorney prove pedestrian or cyclist right of way.
Understanding Comparative Negligence in Fresno Intersection Accidents
California’s comparative negligence rules (Civil Code §1431.2) allow you to recover damages even if you share fault.
Suppose you entered an intersection on a stale yellow, misjudging whether you could clear it before red, and a speeding driver T-bones you. A jury or insurance adjuster might find:
You Were 20% at Fault for entering on a stale yellow.
Other Driver Was 80% at Fault for speeding through a red light.
Against a $100,000 verdict, your award would be reduced by 20%, resulting in $80,000. Our Fresno car accident attorneys meticulously analyze evidence to minimize your fault percentage.
Damages Recoverable in Intersection Car Accidents
Economic Damages:
Past and future medical expenses, ambulance and hospitalization fees, physical therapy, and rehabilitation costs.
Lost Income:
Time missed from work due to injuries and diminished earning capacity if long-term disability occurs.
Property Damage:
Vehicle repair or replacement, rental car expenses, and personal property loss.
Non-Economic Damages:
Pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and disfigurement.
Punitive Damages:
In rare cases like DUI at an intersection, punitive awards punish egregious conduct and deter future wrongdoing.
A knowledgeable attorney calculates immediate and long-term costs, ensuring settlements cover future care needs like ongoing therapy or specialized medical equipment.
Contact Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Today
Do not let strong insurance companies exploit your misfortune after a confusing and usually catastrophic intersection collision in Fresno.
You want a strong, seasoned legal team that knows how to fight for your rights and the complexity of who is at fault in an intersection accident. Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers provides strong representation and peace of mind from the beginning.
Our free, no-obligation consultations let you directly consult a seasoned attorney to assess your case and understand your options free from financial commitment.
Since we operate on a contingency basis, we are not paid unless we win your case, and you will also gain from no upfront fees.
From the first inquiry to aggressive negotiation and, if necessary, trial, we painstakingly handle every legal detail, enabling you to focus on your healing and recovery.
Our verdicts & settlements page allows you to review our proven track record of notable verdicts and settlements, which speaks for itself. Our client testimonials repeatedly highlight our commitment to client-centered service.
Avoid dealing with the fallout from an intersection accident by yourself. Visit our contact page to begin with Fresno’s top intersection accident law firm.