Sometimes, truck accidents result from mistakes so mind-bogglingly obvious that most people throw up their hands in disgust and assume that "those things just happen." My 30+ years of truck accident litigation give me a different perspective. In my experience, when a truck driver makes a decision that's so bone-headed and dangerous (like making a blind left turn), my initial reaction is to look at the employer.
Take a step back for a second and consider another scenario—when a small child has a mishap with a firearm that injures someone, we don't blame the child: we blame the adults who failed that child. In these instances, it's obvious that a parent is to blame for allowing someone as unqualified as a child to handle a firearm in the first place.
The commercial truck driver equivalent of a child handling a gun has to be when a driver makes a left turn across traffic without a clear line of sight. You shouldn't need the extra training that a professional driver receives to know that if you can't see what's coming, you have no business making a turn. Even passenger cars making blind left turns get people killed. The size of a commercial truck only increases the likelihood of a deadly outcome. Yet, year after year, I see people killed from this obviously dangerous maneuver. In fact, the other day, I came across just this kind of crash out in Rusk County, TX.
The Consequences of Commercial Trucks and Blind Left Turns
This particular crash occurred around 4 in the afternoon at the intersection of Highway 43 and County Road 2183. A commercial truck was at a stop sign, waiting to turn left onto Highway 43. As a truck towing another vehicle approached County Road 2183, that second truck slowed to make a right turn. At this point the commercial truck began to turn left onto Highway 43 and ended up crossing paths with an SUV in the outside lane driven by Steven Willett, 52. A T-bone collision resulted, which claimed Mr. Willett's life.
From what I've heard about the crash, it's fairly likely that the commercial truck driver's view of the outside lane was shielded by the turning truck and trailer. It's very likely the commercial driver never saw Mr. Willett's truck. This is particularly infuriating because it's obvious that if you can't see what's coming, you don't make the turn.
I litigated a similar case out in west Texas a few years ago. A driver made a blind left turn across multiple lanes of traffic, effectively blocking off the roadway and leaving the oncoming motorists with nowhere to go. A man, later my client, ended up crashing into the trailer and suffered a catastrophic brain injury. My team's subsequent investigation really opened my eyes to how these accidents occur.
Behind Most Bad Truck Drivers Is a Bad Employer
I'm sure there are instances where an excellent trucking company hires excellent drivers and one of those drivers makes a really dumb decision out of the blue; I've just never seen it. For instance, in the case I mentioned above that my firm was involved in, where the truck driver caused a wreck by making a really dangerous left-turn for no particular reason, it didn't take long for my team to figure out what the problem was.
The Cliffs' notes version is that the company who put the driver behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle completely dropped the ball. They didn't notice that the driver had been fired by multiple other trucking companies for safety violations. The company's hiring procedures were so lax that it's hard to see how anyone with a pulse and a CDL would not have been hire. They had no safety program to continue to educate drivers about safe driving practices. Most damning of all, they didn't have any system in place to track driver safety and address dangerous behavior.
The crash report may have said that the truck driver who caused the crash failed to yield the right of way, but my team was able to answer why the truck driver did what they did; the driver's employer dropped the ball by letting an unqualified, dangerous driver behind the wheel of one of their trucks. Looking back, I can't see much difference between letting that driver behind the wheel and letting an incompetent person handle a firearm.
Smart Trucking Companies Already Prohibit Left Turns, Blind or Otherwise
The really infuriating thing about crashes that result from trucks making blind left turns is that the industry knows better. It's been decades since UPS recognized the danger of large trucks turning left (even when the driver had good visibility) and adjusted their routes to eliminate 90% of their drivers' left turns. Companies that emphasize safety and follow through solved this problem decades ago. Trucks making blind left turns aren't a problem that attorneys made up, but one recognized by the industry itself.
It makes my blood boil that there are still bad actors out there who haven't received the message. My hope anytime I read about a crash caused by a truck driver making a blind left turn is that authorities are looking beyond the accident scene and holding everyone, including the trucking companies accountable for their actions.