Hit by a Left-Turning Driver in Missouri: Who’s at Fault?

Short answer: In Missouri, a driver turning left in an intersection has to yield to oncoming vehicles that are already in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard. That’s RSMo 304.351.3. So when a left-turning driver pulls across the path of an oncoming car or motorcycle, the turning driver is usually the one who broke the right-of-way rule. But “usually” isn’t “always.” Missouri uses pure comparative fault, so if the oncoming driver was speeding, ran a red, or could have avoided the crash, a jury can put a percentage of fault on them and reduce what they recover.

Left turn crashes are some of the worst we see. One driver is turning across traffic. The other is going straight, often at full speed. The point of impact is frequently the side of a car or the rider of a motorcycle.

And afterward, you’ll hear the same line over and over from the turning driver: “I never saw them.”

A crash in the Bevo neighborhood this week

On Monday night, November 9, 2026, a motorcyclist was critically injured in a crash at Winona Avenue and South Kingshighway Boulevard in the Bevo neighborhood of St. Louis. According to First Alert 4 (KMOV), the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said the crash happened around 8 p.m. Police said the driver of a midsize car was attempting to turn left onto Winona from the center lane, and a motorcycle then crashed into the car, ejecting the rider. Paramedics took the motorcyclist to the hospital in critical condition. The driver and a teenage passenger complained of pain but declined treatment.

Police say they’re still investigating. We don’t know what the signals showed, how fast anyone was going, or who had the right-of-way, and we’re not going to guess. Fault in a crash like this gets decided on evidence. But it’s a good, sad reminder of how fast a left turn can change somebody’s life, and of the questions that come next.

What Missouri law says about left turns

Several Missouri statutes cover left turns. Here’s what they actually say:

• RSMo 304.351.3, the main rule. “The driver of a vehicle within an intersection intending to turn to the left shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is within the intersection or so close thereto as to constitute an immediate hazard.”
• RSMo 304.351.2, the yield-to-the-right rule doesn’t save a left turner. When two vehicles enter an intersection at about the same time, the one on the left normally yields to the one on the right. But that subsection expressly doesn’t apply to vehicles coming toward each other from opposite directions when one of them is turning left.
• RSMo 304.281.1(1)(a), a green ball isn’t a free pass. A driver facing a circular green light may turn left unless a sign prohibits it, but vehicles turning right or left “shall yield the right-of-way to other vehicles and to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk.”
• RSMo 304.281.1(1)(b), green arrows. A driver facing a green arrow may cautiously enter the intersection to make the movement the arrow shows, but still has to yield to pedestrians lawfully in an adjacent crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully using the intersection.
• RSMo 304.351.6, turning left into a driveway or alley. A driver turning left into an alley, private road or driveway has to yield to oncoming vehicles when the turn would create a traffic hazard.
• RSMo 304.341.1(2), lane position. A driver turning left at an intersection has to approach in the extreme left-hand lane lawfully available to traffic going that direction, and finish the turn in a lane lawfully available on the road being entered.

Violating 304.351 is a class C misdemeanor (304.351.8). If the violation causes physical injury, serious physical injury or death, the statute adds penalties of up to $200, $500 or $1,000, and the court may suspend the driver’s license for 30 days, 90 days or six months (304.351.9 through 11).

Is the left-turning driver always at fault?

No. The statute puts the duty to yield on the left turner, and in a lot of these cases that ends the argument. But the insurance company for the turning driver will almost always look for a way to put some of the blame on the person going straight. The usual arguments:

• Speed. “The motorcycle came out of nowhere.” Translation: they’re going to say you were going too fast for the turning driver to judge.
• The light. Did the straight-through driver run a yellow or red? Did the turner have a protected green arrow?
• Lookout. “They should have seen me turning and slowed down.”

Here’s the thing about that last one. The Missouri Supreme Court dealt with almost exactly this in Hayes v. Price, 313 S.W.3d 645 (Mo. banc 2010). A motorcyclist was going straight through a green light when a driver turned left across his lane. The court said a driver with a green light and the right-of-way can assume the oncoming driver will yield until there’s a clear sign they won’t. And a “failure to keep a careful lookout” argument needs real evidence that the rider could have seen the danger in time to do something about it, like slowing, swerving or honking. Without that evidence, the comparative fault instruction shouldn’t have gone to the jury. We wrote more about how that works in our post on careful lookout and comparative fault in Missouri.

How comparative fault changes the money

Missouri follows pure comparative fault in ordinary negligence cases (Gustafson v. Benda, 661 S.W.2d 11 (Mo. banc 1983)). Your damages get reduced by your percentage of fault, but you aren’t shut out just because you share some blame.

Quick example with made-up numbers. Say a jury finds your damages are $100,000. If they put 20% of the fault on you, you get $80,000. If they put zero on you, you get the full $100,000. That’s why the turning driver’s insurer fights so hard over a few percentage points. Every point is their money.

What evidence matters in a left turn crash

• Video. Business cameras, doorbell cameras, dash cams, and city or traffic cameras where they exist. Footage often gets recorded over fast, so preservation requests need to go out quickly.
• Signal timing. Whether the turner had a protected arrow or a green ball, and what the signal showed for the straight-through driver.
• Vehicle data. Event data recorders in many cars can show speed and braking in the seconds before impact.
• The police report and witness statements. Who said what at the scene, including any admission like “I didn’t see them.”
• Scene evidence. Photos of the vehicles, the final resting positions, debris, and sight lines from the turning lane.
• Accident reconstruction when the case is big enough to justify it. Speed and distance turned into seconds can settle the “came out of nowhere” argument.

Motorcycles and left turns

Riders get hit by left turners a lot, and they get blamed for it a lot. A motorcycle is narrow and it’s easy for a driver to misjudge its speed. That’s an explanation, not an excuse. The duty to yield under 304.351.3 doesn’t change because the oncoming vehicle has two wheels instead of four. We break down motorcycle intersection claims in more detail in our post on when a driver fails to yield or “didn’t see” the motorcycle.

Insurance and deadlines

Missouri’s minimum auto liability coverage is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage. Missouri also requires uninsured motorist coverage at $25,000/$50,000. Underinsured motorist coverage is optional, and in a serious left turn crash, it can matter a lot, because the minimums run out fast.

Watch the clock, too. Most Missouri personal injury claims must be filed within five years (RSMo 516.120). Wrongful death claims generally must be filed within three years (RSMo 537.100). There are exceptions, so don’t rely on the general rule for your own case.

If you or someone you love was hit by a left-turning driver, you can learn more on our St. Louis car accident lawyer page, our St. Louis motorcycle accident lawyer page and our Missouri motorcycle accident lawyer page.

Frequently asked questions

Who is at fault in a left turn accident in Missouri?

Usually the left-turning driver. Under RSMo 304.351.3, a driver turning left in an intersection must yield to oncoming vehicles that are in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard. But Missouri uses pure comparative fault, so the oncoming driver can be assigned a share of fault if the evidence shows they were speeding, ran a light, or could have avoided the crash.

Does a green light mean I can turn left without yielding?

No. Under RSMo 304.281, a driver facing a circular green light may turn left unless a sign prohibits it, but must yield to other vehicles and pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk. Even with a green arrow, the driver must yield to pedestrians in an adjacent crosswalk and other traffic lawfully using the intersection.

Does the yield-to-the-right rule apply to left turns?

No. RSMo 304.351.2 says the rule that the vehicle on the left yields to the vehicle on the right doesn’t apply to vehicles approaching from opposite directions when one is turning left.

Can I still recover if I was partly at fault for a left turn crash?

Yes. In ordinary negligence cases Missouri follows pure comparative fault, so your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you aren’t barred from recovering just because you share some of the blame.

What if the left-turning driver says they never saw my motorcycle?

Not seeing an oncoming vehicle doesn’t excuse a failure to yield. In Hayes v. Price (Mo. banc 2010), the Missouri Supreme Court said a rider with a green light and the right-of-way could assume the turning driver would yield, and a careful lookout argument against him needed evidence he could have avoided the crash in time.

What is the penalty for failure to yield in Missouri?

Violating RSMo 304.351 is a class C misdemeanor. If it causes physical injury, serious physical injury or death, additional penalties of up to $200, $500 or $1,000 can apply, and the court may suspend the driver’s license for 30 days, 90 days or six months.

How long do I have to file a car or motorcycle accident claim in Missouri?

Most Missouri personal injury claims must be filed within five years under RSMo 516.120. Wrongful death claims generally have a three-year deadline under RSMo 537.100. Exceptions exist, so get advice about your specific case.

This post is general information about Missouri law, not legal advice for your situation. We have no involvement in the November 9 Bevo crash and make no claim about who caused it.