Failure to Yield Car Accidents in El Centro
As part of the duty of care they take by being a licensed driver, everyone operating a motor vehicle on California roads must know and follow the state’s right-of-way laws. Failing to yield the right-of-way to someone else when appropriate or failing to take the right-of-way when properly yielded to can quickly lead to a serious traffic collision.
If you have been hurt in a failure to yield car accident in El Centro that you were not at fault for, you likely have grounds to demand compensation from whoever was at fault. Without support from a seasoned auto accident lawyer, though, you may have a difficult time navigating California civil law effectively enough to obtain all the compensation you deserve for your damages.
What Counts as a Failure to Yield?
Of course, someone who advances past a posted “YIELD” sign without stopping to allow oncoming traffic to advance past them will almost always be at fault for any ensuing collision. However, it is also possible to sue someone for failing to yield if they cause a car crash in El Centro by not yielding to any of the following:
- Pedestrians already inside a marked or unmarked crosswalk
- Oncoming cars, when turning left across or U-turning into parallel lanes of traffic
- Traffic already in a roadway, while entering that roadway from a driveway, alleyway, or side street
- Drivers in perpendicular traffic lanes who do not have stop signs, when waiting at a stop sign
- Drivers in perpendicular traffic lanes who arrived at their own stop sign before the non-yielding driver did
- Ambulances, police cars, and other emergency vehicles with their lights and/or sirens on
A qualified attorney can discuss the circumstances leading up to a specific wreck and offer guidance about whether litigation may be possible during a private consultation.
Building a Strong Civil Claim Against a Negligent Driver
Sometimes, proving someone else at fault for a failure to yield auto accident in El Centro is as simple as referencing the accident report written by police who responded to the crash scene. If that report includes a citation issued to a driver involved for a right-of-way traffic offense, that citation can be used as evidence to support a civil claim against that driver for the wreck they caused through their unlawful actions.
If there is no such citation, though, it may fall to an individual injured person to prove that someone else’s failure to yield was the main and direct cause of their injuries. A skilled lawyer can help collect, preserve, and make effective use of evidence like:
- Witness testimony
- Crash scene photos
- Surveillance/dashboard camera footage
- Input from accident reconstructionists
An El Centro Attorney Can Help With a Failure to Yield Car Accident Lawsuit
Violating the right-of-way laws while driving is not only dangerous, but also a breach of the duty all drivers have to act responsibly behind the wheel. Anyone who causes a failure to yield car accident in El Centro through such a breach of duty is civilly liable for all ensuing injuries and losses—that is, if the injured person can prove them liable during settlement negotiations or a civil court trial.
Accomplishing that can be much harder in practice than it may sound on paper, but a seasoned car accident attorney can help build the strongest possible case around your unique accident. Call Walter Clark Legal Group today to get started.