Bro I told you I speak from experience, the wreck that comes to mind was in Atlanta where I was driving a dump Trailer loaded with 79,500 Lbs of stone, do you know why I remember the weight, because legally you can't carry but 80.000 lbs ( in a trailer a dump truck would be 65.000 lbs ) and did you also know that in all Rock Quarries there are scales, and they won't let you out the gate if you are over weight ? Now if he was coming off of a work site or something yes he could of been heavy,what was he hauling ?? Now when you made the left did you think about how much longer it takes him to stop than it does a car ?? The accident I got in down in Atlanta was similar, the guy was all over the road, he had just robbed the corner store, I watched him come out of the store and jump in the car while the guys that hung there where throwing stuff at him, he lost control of the car right away ( a firebird ) he was in all 4 lanes, as I tried to get out of his way ( but by this time I was in his lane trying to get into the parking lot ) he slid driver side towards me, I hit him and blew out all the glass, pushed the frame from one side to the other, and flattened all 4 tires, well he jumped out with a gun in one hand and a bag in the other, when the police came they found him a hundred yards away sitting on the RR tracks, seems his Bell was rung pretty good, here is the kicker though, even though I hit him in his lane of traffic he received ( if I remember correctly ) like 16 tickets ( yea you never leave the scene until tickets are given out, if none are than the cop is basically saying he can't tell who is at fault)
Another wreck I had was on Jimmy Cater in Gwinnett, I was stopped at a red light, about a half mile or so from it in the right lane, I left just enough room to see the rear of the car in front of me, well a woman came up the turning lane saw that opening and decided she would cut in there, when I took off ( Loaded of course ) it felt like I hit a pot hole, it wasn't until about 5th gear that I heard her tires screeching ( I was pushing her up the road sideways ) yea her neck and back where hurting her real bad
but when the cop came he got up in my truck and realized there is no way I could of seen her, he told me to take off, of course I asked him who was at fault and he said she was ( at which point as she started screaming and cussing her neck and back all of a sudden seemed better )
Then I was on 26 in SC, I had my son with me, I passed a car running about 80 and there was no other cars in sight, so I rode out there for a few minutes than put my right hand blinker on and looked in my mirror and in the lower window on the bottom of the door and preceded to switch lanes, I felt a bump and my son said Dad there is a car here, so I pulled to the shoulder he pulled over with his brand new beamer and he explained that he was passing me on the right, when the cop got here he told the cop he was in a hurry heading to a appointment in Charleston, well as we left the cop didn't hand either of us a ticket, my insurance company called me and I told them the facts at which point they told me they weren't paying a dime, it was his fault, again he was in my blind spot, no way I could see him and he admitted to being in a hurry when I told the cop I was running over the speed limit ( which was 70 ) OOO and they where going to pay 50%, which would of made me 50% at fault
and yea he called the trucking company as well, NO they wont talk to you. that is why they have insurance, just as the idiot in the beamer screwed himself with the he was late for a meeting sometimes you say things to incriminate yourself, so you leave it to the insurance company, first thing any company tells you is don't say a word and take a whole roll of film in pictures.
And all 3 of these wrecks are on my DAC report and all 3 say driver not charged, because the DOT did there inspection, that is how a new company hires a ICC driver, the report tells all tickets, violations and wrecks one may of had, So was it your fault, not saying that but I am not convinced it was his either, sounds like if they gave you 5 grand for a car they paid you off, hell the cost of the lawyers and all involved would of cost more than that, and then they may of got a liberal judge that knows nothing of driving a heavy truck, and he/she may of thought just like you did (you where turning ) and gave ya 5 times the amount.