My car was hit by a lorry. Who is at fault here?

[Trexraaa]

I approached a junction with a lorry waiting at it. I thought the lorry was going right due to its positioning on the road. I know they have to go wide but this guy was literally in the middle of the road. He wasn’t indicating. I’m going left so I pull up on the left side of the junction where I am now side by side with the lorry. I am stationary and checking left and right for a gap to go. The lorry then decides to go left and crashes into the side of my car. I must have been in his blind spot for him not to see us. That’s my car written off but at least we are all ok. Am I at fault?

If it was a single wide lane and you've gone side by side when it wasn't a double lane it's your fault.

Oh I've written off a car after going down a mountain pass too fast (inexperienced and learned the important lesson that just because the NSL permits 60mph, it doesn't guarantee that it's a safe speed for the road, not that I was even going that fast).

Still, I cycle to work and I am incredibly cautious around HGVs. It's not work the risk. HGV drivers are mostly very professional, giving me plenty of room (unlike most car drivers). I let them ahead and keep well clear at junctions.

You have had an awful fright, now go and have a cup of tea and a sandwich, try to put the what-ifs from your mind. Have a hug too, don't tell anyone as I have a rep to uphold.

Is it ok to go side by side when it’s another car turning or just best to hang back entirely?

If it's one lane then it's one vehicle at a time

If it was 2 lanes at the junction this usually means left lane for left only or left and straight on and right lane for right only or straight on and right but not left.
Was the road set up this way? If so lorry at fault.
If it is just 1 lane for all directions the you shouldn't be by the side of any vehicle.

Do you have a photo of the road? 1 Lane = 1 car generally.

I would imagine that if it was marked as two lanes the lorry might straddle both before the turn, to avoid anyone trying to pass when he swings out.

Scaringly although cars have blind spot cameras and sensors (mine actually applies the break) a lot of lorry's do not (I think it should be mandatory).

Having been the person that moved even if you technically in the wrong place/illegally parked the moving vehicle is found at fault or was in my case.

It would save lives if all lorries were fitted with camera monitor systems and blind spot mirrors, we can't always blame the victim.

Well if he wasnt signalling to go left then I am unclear why you are getting so much stick from others. I would have assumed he wasn’t turning left if not indicating to do so.

you are not at fault if stationary and he crashed into you and was not indicating. Your insurers will deal with fault assignation. They may go equal fault at times when there is debate but I would push back on that here due to lack of indication.

I'd say yes you are at fault - previously on the test and lessons you were always taught several factors:
Lorries have blind spots
Lorries have a wide turning circle
Lorries will often be the opposite side of the road it looks like they are going
If you cant see the lorry wing mirror - they cant see you

Some lorries even have this info on the lorry as a sticker telling you not to pass or be in the space to the left of them.

Also never rely on indicators; always wait til the other driver has committed. Indicators knock off, they fail, bulbs might have gone etc. Never rely on indicators to assume they are doing something, always wait to see the driver commit to a turn.

Lesson learned. Glad you're ok

If he was straddling both lanes then OP wouldn't have been able to pull down the side of him I would have thought.

I see cars going side by side all the time if they are turning left and right.

It’s a single lane. That means you wait your turn. You don’t squash up the side of another vehicle, no matter what sort of vehicle it is and which way it’s turning.

If she was there first and stationary then yes but...
She pulled up alongside the lorry
She would have been hit even if he'd gone right.
She is at fault
The lorry has to be in the middle of the road to turn
If cars could just pull up alongside them while they were waiting to turn they'd never be able to turn

It doesn’t matter. If it’s a single lane road then they are wrong to do that. Copying someone else who is doing the wrong thing isn’t an excuse. “I thought it was ok because I saw him doing it” is not a legal defence.

he should have been indicating but you can’t assume what someone else is going to do.

if she stopped in his blind spot then he won’t have known she was there. He was in position for his manoeuvre when a car pulled alongside.

thabkfully nobody was hurt and lesson has been learnt

From the photo it does look wide. He was in the wrong for not indicating, but ultimately it was his turn to go before you as you were supposed to be behind him, unless he was clearly turning one way or another which he wasn't. I think there's blame on both sides to be fair, he didn't indicate but you made an assumption.

I assume the lorry had no indicators on if you didn't know which way he was turning?

In that case, you have a death wish sitting in his blind spot. Surely every driver knows lorries and buses can't see you.

IMO you should be at fault for being both inconsiderate and unaware of the risk of your position, but I think it is likely the lorry driver will be responsible for no indicators and not positioning himself on the road so you couldn't nip in.

It would be interesting to know how it goes.

But he also wasn't signalling right. Seems unlikely his plan was to just sit there so the obvious correct action is to hang back and see what he does.

That looks just about wide enough for two cars
No wonder he hit you

If you have a dashcam and can prove the lorry was not indicating, I would think you might get compensation...but I also would not have driven up beside the lorry precisely because I wouldn't have known which way he was turning and wouldn't have taken that risk.

Let me rewrite your OP, OP

"I took a risk by moving into the blind spot of a lorry whose intention to turn left or right was unclear. I made an assumption thereby putting my car at risk. When the lorry driver initiated the turn he had been intending all along, my car was in his way.

On the idiocy scale, where do I sit"

DH is a bus driver, usually on large coaches and this happens to him on a near daily basis (people driving up beside him, not the accident part). He's even had a learner driver on a lesson do it which isn't great if instructors are encouraging that. Thankfully he knows to check the mirrors constantly to avoid hitting anything that moves into his blind spot because it happens to him so much.