Lorry trailer hit our car on a roundabout - whose fault is it?
I was the passenger in a car and we were approaching a roundabout, with the choice of three lanes. An extra-long lorry and trailer chose the middle lane and we then went into the third (right) lane. As it was clear with no traffic coming from the right, we started off at the same time as the extra-long lorry and trailer. The lorry went straight over, cutting into the third lane as we tried to negotiate our position but, being an extra long vehicle, the trailer did not bend with the roundabout and cut across our path, making us stop to let the rest of the truck continue. The traile caught our front bumper and ripped it half off. Personally I see the fault resting entirely with the lorry driver, as he should have been in the inner lane to start with as he was going into the left lane to get over the bridge, and we were aiming for the second lane over the bridge.
Asked on 21 December 2013 by OS, via email
Answered by
Honest John
Sorry, but had it been me, because I consider these things, I would have held back behind the truck in order to give it room to negotiate the roundabout. It seems from this that your driver did not anticipate the difficulties faced by the lorry driver, did not give him sufficient room and therefore was held partly to blame for what happened.
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