Guy used the center turn lane as a passing lane and hit me mid-turn — whose fault is this??

Oh man, this is almost exactly what happened to me two years ago. Someone used the center turn lane to pass a line of stopped cars and clipped me while I was mid-turn into a parking lot. The thing that saved me was that there was a dashcam on the car behind me that caught the whole thing. Do you have any dashcam footage, or were there any businesses nearby that might have cameras facing the road? That evidence matters SO much in these situations.

Do NOT call that other insurance company back without knowing your rights first. They're calling you fast for a reason — they want a recorded statement while you're still shaken up and before you've talked to anyone. Anything you say can get twisted to increase your share of fault. Let them leave a voicemail. You're not legally required to cooperate with the other driver's insurer, only your own.

I used to work claims and I'll tell you exactly what's going to happen if you're not careful. They're going to try to put comparative fault on you for "failure to yield" during a left turn, because that's the default argument adjusters reach for. They'll probably low-ball any offer fast hoping you take it before you get medical records together.

What actually matters here is whether you can show he was traveling in a lane not designated for through traffic. Most states define two-way left-turn lanes in their traffic codes — using one to pass is almost always a violation. If you have photos, a police report, or any witness info, hold onto all of it.

The legal concept you're bumping into is comparative negligence — most states split fault by percentage rather than all-or-nothing. The key issue is whether the other driver violated a traffic law by using the center turn lane for passing. That violation could shift significant fault to him. Make sure you get a copy of the police report if one was filed, and write down your own detailed account of events right now while everything is fresh. Times, what you saw, what you checked — all of it.

Not legal advice, but this fact pattern — someone using a two-way center turn lane as a travel lane to pass stopped vehicles — is genuinely fact-specific and can go different ways depending on your state's traffic laws and how fault gets apportioned. The stronger your evidence that he wasn't making a turn (no signal, high speed, passing multiple cars), the harder it is for his insurer to push 100% of the blame on you. Worth at least a free consult with a PI attorney before you talk to anyone on his side.

Three things right now: (1) Stop answering calls from his insurance until you're ready. (2) If there are any businesses, traffic cameras, or dashcams in that area, move fast — footage gets overwritten. (3) Keep going to the doctor and don't downplay how you feel just because you're tough. Soft tissue stuff from side impacts is real and it needs documentation.

Was there a police report filed at the scene? And did the officer note anything about the other driver's lane usage? I ask because the report is going to be one of the first things anyone looks at, and if the officer didn't document that the guy was traveling in the turn lane, you may have a harder time proving it without other evidence. Not saying you're wrong — just asking what you actually have on your side right now.

Honestly the fact that your neck and shoulder are still sore is what I'd be focused on right now. Please don't let the insurance stress push the physical stuff to the back burner. I really hope you have someone looking out for you through all this — it sounds incredibly stressful.

The good news is you went to urgent care right away and you're already documenting things by writing it out like this. A lot of people don't do either and it really hurts their case later. You're already ahead of where a lot of people are when they come here.