Cited for failure to yield but the other driver was flying — am I really fully at fault?

Almost the exact same thing happened to me at a blind curve intersection two years ago. I got the failure-to-yield citation, other driver got nothing, and I was furious. What I learned is that a police citation and legal/insurance fault are actually two different things. My lawyer was able to use the other driver's speed as a factor that got me down to something like 30% at fault instead of 100%. Don't assume the citation is the final word.

Former adjuster here. On the inside, we were always told to get recorded statements as fast as possible — ideally within 24-48 hours while people are still confused and in pain. That 'super friendly' vibe you noticed? That's a technique. I'm not saying every adjuster is a bad person, but the friendliness serves the company's interests, not yours. Get your ducks in a row before you talk to them.

Not legal advice, but I'll say this much: most states use some form of comparative negligence, which means fault can be split between parties. A driver's speed and failure to brake can absolutely be argued as contributing factors even when someone else failed to yield. The intersection's visibility problem could also be relevant — sometimes municipalities share liability for dangerous road conditions. Worth at least a free consult before you accept any framing from the insurance company. Not legal advice.

A few things worth doing right now if you haven't already: (1) Go back to that intersection and take a ton of photos and video from the driver's perspective — show exactly what you can and can't see from the stop sign. Do it soon before anything changes. (2) Request the full police report, not just the summary. Officer notes and diagrams can matter a lot. (3) If there are any houses or businesses nearby that might have security cameras covering that stretch of road, time is not your friend — footage gets overwritten fast.

Please take the concussion seriously. Even 'mild' ones can get worse before they get better, and symptoms sometimes don't fully show up until a few days after the impact. Make sure you're following up with a doctor and keeping records of every appointment, every symptom, every day you felt off. That documentation matters for your health AND for any claim down the road. Don't let anyone rush you into saying you're 'fine.'

Genuine question — did anyone actually measure or document the sightline issue at that intersection officially, or is that just your assessment? Because there's a difference between 'I personally couldn't see well' and having an engineer or the police report actually note the visibility obstruction. If it's just your word, it's going to be harder to lean on than you might hope. Not saying you're wrong, just asking.

You didn't give the recorded statement — that's actually a really good instinct and puts you in a better position than a lot of people who call in the same week and just start talking. You've still got options here. The fact that you're asking questions and thinking critically about this instead of just rolling over is going to serve you well.

Two things: talk to a PI attorney before you talk to any insurance company, including your own. And document your symptoms every single day in a notes app or journal — date, time, what you felt. Juries and adjusters both respond to paper trails. Do those two things before anything else.