Semi-trucks are a common sight on roads and highways throughout Oregon and Washington, transporting goods and supplies across the Pacific Northwest. However, their sheer size and weight can pose significant challenges, particularly when making turns. One such challenge, and a frequent cause of serious collisions, is a wide-turn truck accident, especially during wide right turns.
These incidents can devastate motorists, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. Understanding how these collisions happen, why they’re so dangerous, and who might be liable, particularly in a truck-wide-right-turn accident fault analysis, is crucial for both legal awareness and roadway safety.
Contact us today at 503-222-6333 to discuss your case and learn how we can help you.
Key Takeaways
Wide right turns are difficult for truck drivers to perform because a semi-truck trailer can extend well beyond the truck’s cab. Road design and obstacles, such as streetlights or curbs, can also make these turns more difficult to perform. When you add in the potential for human error, you have a real recipe for disaster.
A relatively common type of right-turn truck accident happens when a truck veers into the lane of oncoming traffic. When truck drivers attempt to make a right turn, they may misjudge the width of their vehicle and the space available, causing them to swing too wide and collide with other vehicles or objects.
Another common scenario involves drivers trying to squeeze into the lane next to a truck that is preparing to complete a wide right turn. Collisions happen when the truck driver is unaware of the car next to them or if the driver does not anticipate the truck’s right turn.
Rollovers could also happen when a truck makes a right turn. Because of their higher center of gravity, a truck could tip over if the driver is going too fast or turning at too acute an angle. If the cargo is not properly secured or balanced, the shifting weight forces the truck to tip over or make a wider turn than expected.
Large commercial trucks and tractor-trailers must often execute wide right turns due to their long trailer lengths, multiple axles, and limited pivoting capability. A common misconception among passenger vehicle drivers is that trucks are attempting to “take up extra road space unnecessarily.” In reality, wide turns are essential for these vehicles to clear curbs, avoid fixed objects, or negotiate intersections safely. However, when surrounding drivers misjudge a truck’s intent or position, the risk of a truck-wide turn accident increases sharply.
In particular:
These types of collisions are especially dangerous because passenger vehicles often have little protection when caught beside or beneath a turning commercial truck. In many wide-right-turn crashes, the occupants of smaller vehicles have no time or space to react once the truck begins its turn. As a result, a wide-turn truck accident can cause severe injuries or fatalities even at relatively low speeds.
Understanding how these crashes occur is critical for determining liability and evaluating truck-wide-right-turn accident fault under Oregon and Washington traffic laws.
One of the main reasons right-turn truck accidents happen is driver error. Drivers could misjudge the width of the truck and the space available, misuse the turn signals, or fail to check blind spots. In busy urban areas and congested intersections, these mistakes are even more likely to occur, especially when traffic patterns are complex or visibility is limited.
Driver errors might also include:
Distracted driving, inexperience, and fatigue also contribute to unnecessary accidents, particularly when truck drivers are under time pressure or operating unfamiliar routes.
Passenger vehicles often get too close to the right side of a truck, mistakenly believing the space is safe to occupy. In reality, many commercial vehicles have large blind spots—commonly referred to as no-zones—on the front, back, and right side of the cab and trailer. Vehicles in these areas are effectively invisible to truck drivers unless the driver physically turns their head and checks mirrors thoroughly.
A wide right turn introduces a moment where a truck must swing right into adjacent lanes. If a passenger vehicle is in this no-zone, the truck driver may not see it at all, leading to preventable sideswipe collisions or right-turn “trap” crashes. According to safety data compiled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a significant share of truck accidents occur in rural areas (54%) and interstate highways (27%).
Understanding no-zones is key for motorists navigating near commercial trucks and for legal professionals analyzing fault after a collision.
Both Oregon and Washington have specific traffic laws and commercial vehicle regulations that govern how trucks must operate, including when they can make right turns. Violations of these laws can directly influence liability in a wide-turn truck accident.
Under Oregon law, drivers must make right turns as close to the right curb or edge of the roadway as practicable and must not swing left to make room for a right turn unless doing so safely. Failure to comply with this requirement may constitute negligence per se, meaning the violation itself establishes negligence if it causes an accident.
Washington’s law similarly states that turns must be made from the lane nearest the direction of travel and only when safe. A truck driver who makes an unsafe wide right turn or fails to signal or check blind spots may be cited under RCW and face civil liability in a truck-wide-right-turn accident fault determination.
Commercial truck operators must also comply with FMCSA standards, including hours-of-service rules (to prevent fatigued driving), vehicle maintenance requirements, and driver training mandates. A trucking company’s failure to enforce these regulations could form the basis for corporate liability in an accident involving a wide right turn.
After a wide-right-turn accident, you might believe the truck driver is to blame. However, your ability to recover compensation depends on whether they acted negligently and whether their negligent actions caused the accident.
Negligence is a legal term with particular requirements. To prove negligence, you must show the following four elements:
Fault for the accident may also lie with someone other than the driver or with multiple parties.
In both Oregon and Washington, the law recognizes that more than one party can share fault in an accident. Oregon follows a modified comparative negligence system, meaning an injured party can recover damages even if they are partially at fault up to 50%, but their percentage of fault reduces their total recovery. Washington follows a pure comparative negligence system, which is essentially the same except that the person bringing the lawsuit can be up to 99% at fault.
Example: If a passenger vehicle driver is found to be 15% at fault for failing to stay out of a truck’s no-zone during a right turn, their compensation will be reduced correspondingly.
This is especially relevant in wide-right-turn truck accident cases involving multiple vehicles or ambiguous causal factors. It also means that insurance companies are likely to claim that you were disproportionately responsible for the accident. An experienced truck accident attorney will understand these tactics and can bring the necessary evidence to secure the compensation you deserve.
You may sue the trucking company if the driver was acting within the scope of employment at the time of the crash. Additionally, if inadequate maintenance, poor hiring practices, improper training, or failure to implement safety protocols contributed to the accident, the company may also be liable.
Other potential defendants include:
Understanding liability in a truck accident is no simple matter. Consulting with an experienced attorney is key to ensuring your claim is filed against the appropriate party or parties.
Wide right turns by semi trucks can have serious consequences, leading to accidents that can cause significant damage and injury. Occupants of smaller vehicles in a truck crash are at a high risk of injuries and fatalities because of the incredible forces involved in these wrecks. In most cases, the truck driver walks away unscathed while those in other vehicles suffer life-threatening or deadly injuries.
Wide right turns often result in severe or catastrophic injuries because passenger vehicles are particularly vulnerable in collisions with heavier commercial vehicles. According to the National Safety Council, in 2023, large truck accidents accounted for 9% of all vehicle fatalities, but only 10% of all vehicle miles traveled.
Common injuries caused by wide right turns are:
Once you have evidence that you were hurt and there is a clear case of negligence, you can pursue compensation for your injuries through a personal injury insurance claim or lawsuit. You can request compensation for:
The financial burden of your injuries can be significant, with medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and lost wages adding up quickly. It is important to hold the responsible parties accountable and seek compensation to cover your losses.
Wide-right-turn truck accidents raise many questions for drivers, passengers, and families affected by these serious collisions. Because commercial trucks operate under different rules and face unique driving challenges, understanding how wide right turns work and who may be responsible when something goes wrong is critical. The following are common questions about wide-right turns, liability, and safety in accidents involving large commercial trucks.
Yes. The law permits commercial trucks to make wide right turns when necessary due to their size, pivot point geometry, and federal and state regulations. However, they must do so safely, using turn signals, mirrors, and yielding to other road users.
A wide right turn occurs when a truck’s rear trailer wheels do not follow the same arc as the front cab. This requires the truck to move farther into adjacent lanes to prevent the rear from clipping curbs, pedestrians, or fixed objects. While necessary, these turns can place other vehicles at risk if not executed properly.
Injuries often include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, fractures, internal bleeding, amputation, and psychological trauma, often more severe due to the size mismatch between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles.
Large trucks need extra space to turn due to their length and trailer swing. Drivers may swing left before a right turn to avoid obstacles, creating risk for nearby vehicles.
Fault depends on crash details. Truck drivers may be at fault for not checking mirrors, signaling, or confirming a safe turn, though surrounding traffic can also influence the outcome.
Wide right-turn accidents often result from driver error, but other factors, such as training gaps, poor supervision, narrow roads, or bad vehicle setup can also play a role.
Yes. Passenger vehicles may share fault if they act in a way that contributed to the accident, including maneuvers such as passing a truck on the right or ignoring its turn signals. Responsibility is based on traffic laws, vehicle positions, and driver actions before the crash.
Wide turn accidents are dangerous because smaller vehicles can be trapped or crushed. The truck’s size and weight often cause severe damage and serious injuries.
The attorneys at D’Amore Law Group know that when you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or death, you need the very best legal representation. Tom D’Amore has dedicated his practice to helping accident victims for more than 30 years and was recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation.
To ensure the accuracy and clarity of this page, we referenced official legal resources during the content development process.
