Left-Turn Accidents and Fault in Arizona

Short answer: The left-turning driver often has the duty to yield, but is not automatically at fault for every Arizona intersection crash. Under A.R.S. § 28-772, the turning driver must yield to an oncoming vehicle that is within the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard. Signal phase, speed, distance, visibility, lane position, and the timing of both vehicles determine whether that rule was violated and whether fault is shared.

What Does Arizona’s Left-Turn Law Say?

A.R.S. § 28-772 applies when a driver within an intersection intends to turn left. The driver must yield to an oncoming vehicle that is within the intersection or so close that it presents an immediate hazard.

The statute does not assign civil fault solely from the location or angle of a collision. Investigators must reconstruct when each vehicle entered, what signal each driver faced, and whether the oncoming vehicle presented an immediate hazard at the relevant moment.

Evidence That Can Establish the Collision Sequence

Useful evidence may include:

• traffic-signal phase and timing records;
• intersection, business, residential, or dashcam video;
• vehicle event data, braking, steering, and speed evidence;
• lane markings, debris, tire marks, sight obstructions, and lighting;
• damage angles and points of impact on every vehicle;
• witness accounts, 911 calls, and driver statements; and
• the crash report and citations, which may be relevant but do not automatically decide civil fault.

Use the scene below to record the direction and lane of each vehicle, the turn path, point of impact, traffic controls, and final positions while the sequence is still fresh. It is a documentation tool, not a legal conclusion or professional reconstruction.

Common Left-Turn Fault Disputes

The Oncoming Vehicle Was an Immediate Hazard

If the oncoming vehicle was already in the intersection or close enough to create an immediate hazard, the turning driver’s failure to yield may be the central cause. Video, distance, timing, and vehicle data are more reliable than a general statement that the other car “came out of nowhere.”

The Oncoming Driver Entered Against a Red Light

When the drivers dispute the signal, independent evidence becomes critical. Signal records, video, witnesses, and data showing when each vehicle entered can establish whether the oncoming driver faced a red light or the turning driver no longer had a protected indication.

Speed Changed the Available Time

Evidence that the oncoming vehicle was traveling faster than conditions or the posted limit allowed may affect whether the turning driver could judge the approach and may support comparative-fault arguments. Speed does not automatically erase the turning driver’s duty; it must be proved and connected to the collision.

Visibility Was Obstructed

Another vehicle, construction, landscaping, sun glare, weather, or darkness may affect what each driver could see. Investigators should document the view from both approaches rather than assume that either driver had an unobstructed line of sight.

Several Vehicles or Turns Were Involved

A driver waving another vehicle through, a vehicle turning from the wrong lane, or a second impact may complicate the sequence. An informal wave does not by itself establish that traffic was clear. Each participant’s actual conduct and causal role must be examined.

How Arizona Comparative Fault Applies

Under A.R.S. § 12-2505, damages can be reduced in proportion to fault attributed to a claimant when comparative negligence applies. A turning driver and an oncoming driver can therefore share fault if both contributed, but an insurer cannot establish a percentage by repeating a label such as “left-turn crash.”

Our Arizona comparative-fault guide explains how evidence affects that allocation.

What to Preserve After a Left-Turn Crash

Photograph the full intersection and traffic controls, each approach, sight obstructions, debris, tire marks, and every damaged area. Identify nearby cameras promptly and preserve original files. Record the signal each person says they faced without guessing, and obtain witness contact information.

Seek medical care appropriate to your symptoms and keep treatment, wage-loss, repair, towing, rental, and insurance records. Before signing a release or giving an extensive recorded statement, understand whom the insurer represents and which claims or rights may be affected.

Arizona Deadlines Depend on the Claim

A.R.S. § 12-542 generally provides a two-year limitations period for many Arizona personal-injury actions, but accrual, public-entity claims, and other exceptions can change the deadline. Traffic video and electronic data may disappear much sooner, so evidence preservation should not wait for the limitations period.

Law Badgers evaluates left-turn crashes throughout Arizona without assuming fault from the crash label alone. Contact us or call (833) DTF-IGHT for a confidential consultation. Liability, coverage, deadlines, and damages depend on the facts, and no result is guaranteed.