Left-hand turn accidents often occur when the driver making a left turn fails to watch for oncoming traffic before proceeding. In Drury v. Ryan, Cal. Ct. App. Case No. G063080, the Court of Appeal considered whether a trial court judge committed a prejudicial error when he failed to instruct the jury on the defendant’s per se negligence in violating the left-hand turn statute.
Factual and Procedural Background
Kathy Ryan was preparing to turn left into a grocery store parking lot after traveling north on Highland Springs Avenue in Beaumont on Aug. 10, 2018, at 4 pm. The southbound roadway had three lanes she needed to cross, and the area did not have any traffic lights. The drivers in the two lanes nearest to her yielded and motioned for her to turn. She stated she didn’t see any vehicles in the third lane and turned left across all three lanes to enter the parking lot.