The Crosswalk
Mr. Tran has helped children cross for twenty years. A turning truck fails to stop.
Explore the real law behind this episodeTranscript
TSLMr. Tran crossed kids at the same corner for twenty years. Knew every one of them by name.
Tom BriggsHe walked into a turning truck. There's a signal for a reason.
JenThe walk signal was lit. He had the right of way, in a marked crosswalk, in a bright yellow vest. The truck never slowed - it just turned.
TSLYou don't get to turn through a crosswalk full of kids because you're running late. That's the whole reason the corner has a guard.
Mr. TranTwenty years I stopped traffic with a little sign. Worked every single time. Until the one time it didn't.
TSLHe kept a thousand kids safe crossing that street. It was his turn for somebody to stop.
The Crosswalk: Turning Trucks and Pedestrian Signals
Mr. Tran is helping children cross when a truck turns through the intersection. Signal phase, pedestrian position, and truck movement are central evidence.
Match right-of-way to the signal
A.R.S. 28-645 addresses signal-controlled traffic, including yielding obligations for vehicles facing green. A.R.S. 28-792 concerns crosswalks without operating traffic-control signals.
The episode specifies a lit walk signal. Do not apply an unsignalized-crosswalk rule without checking that distinction. The exact phase, pedestrian position, and truck approach still need proof.
Preserve the full approach and turn
Traffic cameras, businesses, dashcams, signal timing records, and witnesses may show movements before impact. Record markings, visibility, construction, and obstructions. Synchronize the footage with signal records rather than relying solely on a witness’s memory of a light.
The turning statute includes qualifications for large vehicles. Needing extra turning room does not dispense with avoiding contact with people in the crossing.
Urgency does not establish a safe movement
A deadline may explain pressure without excusing a collision. Dispatch and route information can test whether pressure contributed. Mr. Tran’s service gives the story a history; the inquiry must still establish the particular movement and its consequences.
Questions this episode raises
- Does green allow a turn through people crossing?
- A green light does not remove applicable yielding obligations. Signal phase and lawful pedestrian position matter.
- Does one statute govern every marked crosswalk?
- No. Signal-controlled and unsignalized crossings require attention to different provisions and facts.
Sources and further reading
Episode explanation by Impact Legal. Updated .