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Call Our Boise Personal Injury Lawyers Today
If you’ve been seriously injured in any of the above-mentioned personal injury cases, please do not hesitate to reach out to us as soon as you possibly can. Your case will be treated as a priority. You will get strong and dependable representation from our Boise personal injury lawyers. We want to encourage you to reach out to us today to set up your free initial consultation. You deserve justice and we can help you get it. Call us today.
Boise Intersection Accident Lawyers
Intersections are where the largest share of serious Treasure Valley crashes happen — and where the evidence that decides fault disappears the fastest
A driver runs a red light on Eagle Road. Another fails to yield on a left turn across Fairview Avenue. A third blows through a stop sign on a residential side street in Meridian. Intersection crashes are the most common location for serious injury collisions in Ada County, and the evidence that proves what happened at the moment of impact — signal timing records, intersection camera footage, event data recorder data — begins disappearing within hours. If you were injured in an intersection crash anywhere in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, Caldwell, or across the Treasure Valley, we are happy to talk to you about your situation. Call us today.
Intersection crashes account for a significant share of all reportable injury crashes in Idaho each year according to ITD data. In Ada County specifically, the combination of rapid population growth, increasing traffic volumes at high-use commercial intersections, and a road network that was not designed for current traffic loads has produced consistently high crash rates at specific locations year after year. This is not a random distribution — it is a predictable pattern that the Idaho Transportation Department, ACHD, and the cities that share responsibility for these roads track in their engineering and safety data.
Our firm has been practicing personal injury law in Idaho for more than 50 years. Our attorney team has practiced car accident law for well over a combined 100+ years. For a full overview of all car accident claims we handle in Idaho, see our main car accident hub. For a comprehensive look at which specific roads and intersections generate the most crashes in the Treasure Valley, see our page on dangerous roads and intersections in Idaho.
Hepworth Holzer also helps residents of Idaho with Personal Injury Matters in: Ada County, Caldwell, Canyon County, Eagle, Garden City, Gem County, Kuna, Meridian, Nampa and Star.
Types of Intersection Crashes We Handle
Intersection crashes take several distinct forms, each with its own liability analysis and evidentiary challenges:
- Red-light running crashes — a driver enters the intersection after the signal has turned red, striking a vehicle that had lawfully entered on green. These are among the most injurious intersection crashes because both vehicles are typically moving at approach speed when the collision occurs. Signal timing records are the critical evidence.
- Left-turn-across-path crashes — the most common and most injurious single intersection crash type. A driver turning left fails to yield to oncoming traffic moving through the intersection. Idaho Code Section 49-640 requires the turning driver to yield to oncoming vehicles close enough to constitute an immediate hazard. A collision in these circumstances is strong evidence of a statutory violation.
- Stop-sign violations — a driver fails to stop or rolls through a stop sign without yielding, striking a vehicle with the right of way. At four-way stops, the vehicle that arrived first has the right of way; when vehicles arrive simultaneously, the vehicle to the right has priority.
- Right-on-red violations — a driver turns right on red without yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk or cross-traffic with the green signal.
- Signal malfunction crashes — conflicting signals, dark signals, or mistimed signal phasing can cause drivers with reasonable reliance on the signal to enter an intersection against traffic that also believed it had the right of way. These crashes may involve government entity liability under the Idaho Tort Claims Act.
- Roundabout entry crashes — Idaho has an increasing number of roundabouts in the Treasure Valley. Drivers entering a roundabout must yield to circulating traffic. Failure to yield on entry is the dominant cause of roundabout crashes.
- Rear-end within an intersection — a driver stopped for a yellow or red signal is struck from behind by a driver who either did not see the signal change or chose not to stop. For the specific analysis of rear-end crashes, see our rear-end collision page.
- Pedestrian and cyclist strikes at crosswalks — drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks violate Idaho Code Section 49-702, which requires yielding to pedestrians lawfully crossing the roadway.
Idaho Car Accident Help
Accident Report & Claim Guide Dangerous Roads and Intersections Head-On Collision Hit and Run Accident Intersection Accident Parking Lot Accident Rear-End Collision Road Rage and Aggressive Driving Rollover Accident Speeding Accident T-Bone and Intersection Accident Uninsured and Underinsured Work Zone and Construction Zone Accident
7 Mistakes That Ruin Personal Injury Cases
Get our FREE guide and find out how you can protect your rights with Hepworth Holzer, LLPIdaho Right-of-Way Rules That Govern Intersection Cases
Idaho Code Section 49-640 and the related statutes establish clear right-of-way rules for the most common intersection scenarios:
- At a signalized intersection, vehicles facing green proceed; vehicles facing red stop and wait.
- At an uncontrolled intersection, the vehicle approaching from the right has the right of way when two vehicles arrive simultaneously.
- At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to arrive and stop proceeds first. When two vehicles stop simultaneously, the vehicle to the right proceeds first.
- A driver turning left must yield to oncoming vehicles that are within the intersection or so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.
- A driver entering a roadway from a private drive, alley, or parking lot must yield to all traffic on the through street.
- Pedestrians in a marked or unmarked crosswalk at a corner intersection have the right of way under Idaho Code Section 49-702. An unmarked crosswalk exists at every corner intersection in Idaho — the absence of painted lines does not eliminate the right of way.
Violations of these statutes are negligence per se under Idaho law. When the evidence establishes that the other driver violated an applicable right-of-way statute, the breach-of-duty element of the negligence claim is established without requiring further proof of unreasonable behavior.
Evidence in Intersection Crashes — and Why Speed Matters
Intersection crash evidence is perishable. Signal timing data logs over. Intersection camera footage overwrites — sometimes in as little as 72 hours. Dashcam files get recycled. Witness contact information is lost within hours if not captured at the scene. Our firm sends preservation letters to ACHD, ITD, nearby businesses, and individual witnesses the same day we are retained in a serious intersection case. The evidence we pursue includes:
- Traffic signal timing records from the maintaining agency. ACHD and ITD signal cabinets record phase history — when each signal phase began, how long it lasted, and when it ended. In a disputed red-light case, this data is often decisive.
- Intersection and nearby private cameras — city-owned intersection cameras exist at some Treasure Valley locations. Gas stations, banks, and fast-food restaurants at intersection corners frequently have exterior cameras with footage that captures approach speed, signal phase, and the collision itself. We identify and contact these businesses the same day we are retained.
- Vehicle event data recorder (EDR) downloads from both vehicles — pre-impact speed, throttle, braking, and steering inputs in the five seconds before the crash. In disputed-speed and disputed-fault cases this is often the most reliable evidence available.
- Cell phone records for the at-fault driver — distracted driving under Idaho Code Section 49-1401A is a common contributing factor at intersection crashes. We regularly subpoena carrier records when distraction is suspected.
- Witness statements — intersection crashes almost always have witnesses, and their contemporaneous observations about which light was green, whether a driver was looking at a phone, and how fast the vehicles were moving are highly persuasive with juries.
- Scene photographs of skid marks, debris fields, and final vehicle positions — accident reconstruction experts use this physical evidence to calculate approach speeds and determine point of impact when electronic evidence is unavailable.
- Traffic citations issued at the scene — a citation for running a red light or failing to yield carries real weight with insurance adjusters and juries and shifts the narrative of the claim significantly.
When the Signal Itself May Be the Problem
Some intersection crashes occur not because a driver violated a signal, but because the signal itself failed, was poorly timed, or was designed in a way that creates conflicting movements. When an ACHD or ITD signal malfunctions — a dark signal, a signal showing green in conflicting directions, or a signal with a phasing design that has produced documented conflicts — the agency that maintains the signal may share liability for the resulting crash.
These claims are governed by the Idaho Tort Claims Act under Idaho Code Section 6-901 et seq. A written notice of tort claim must be served on the correct government entity within 180 days of the crash. Missing this deadline permanently bars the claim against the government entity. When a signal malfunction or design issue may have contributed to your crash, the investigation must move immediately.
Idaho’s Comparative Fault Rule at Intersections
Idaho Code Section 6-801 applies to every intersection crash. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault and is barred entirely if you are 50 percent or more at fault. Insurance companies defending intersection crash claims routinely try to assign fault to the injured driver — arguing they were speeding, that they should have seen the other driver coming, that they entered the intersection a second after the light turned yellow. These fault arguments are negotiable and often beatable with the right evidence. Event data recorder data showing your vehicle was moving at or below the speed limit, combined with signal timing records showing the signal was green in your direction, is difficult for the other side to overcome at trial.
Wrongful Death at Intersections
When an intersection crash is fatal, Idaho Code Section 5-311 governs the wrongful death claim. The statutory heirs — generally the surviving spouse, children, and certain other family members — may recover economic losses and non-economic losses including loss of companionship, guidance, and care. The non-economic damages cap under Idaho Code Section 6-1603 ($509,013.28 effective July 1, 2025) applies to ordinary negligence but not to reckless conduct or felonious acts such as DUI. Punitive damages under Idaho Code Section 6-1604 are available for egregious conduct — including DUI-related red-light running and cases of willful disregard for traffic control devices.
Why Hepworth Holzer
Our firm has investigated intersection crashes throughout the Treasure Valley for more than 50 years. We know how to pull signal timing records before they roll off, identify and contact camera-equipped businesses before footage overwrites, and retain reconstruction experts who can build the case from physical evidence when electronic evidence is unavailable. We are personal injury trial attorneys — not a settlement mill — and we have no qualms about going to trial when the insurance company refuses to value an intersection crash fairly. When you call, you talk to a real lawyer. Your case will be treated as a priority.
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Frequently Asked Questions — Boise Intersection Accident Lawyers
How do you prove who had the red light?
Through signal timing records from ACHD or ITD, intersection camera footage, nearby private surveillance, witness statements, and vehicle event data recorder downloads. Signal timing data logs exactly when each phase began and ended, and can establish which signal was displaying green at the precise moment of impact. This data is available if requested quickly — it rolls off maintenance logs over time. We send preservation requests the same day we are retained.
The other driver says the light was yellow. Can I still win?
Yes, with evidence. Signal timing records from the maintaining agency often definitively resolve the yellow-versus-red dispute. Intersection or nearby private camera footage frequently shows the signal color. EDR data showing the other vehicle’s speed and braking pattern in the seconds before impact is also relevant — a driver who did not begin braking until after entering the intersection at full approach speed was not treating the signal as yellow. These cases that look like a credibility contest are often resolved by evidence the other driver did not know existed.
I was making a left turn — am I automatically at fault?
Not automatically. Idaho Code Section 49-640 requires left-turning drivers to yield to oncoming traffic close enough to constitute an immediate hazard — but if the oncoming driver was running a red light, was traveling significantly above the speed limit, or was distracted at the moment of the crash, the fault allocation shifts substantially. The specific facts of what each driver was doing in the seconds before impact determine the outcome. Left-turn crashes require thorough investigation, not a default assumption.
Can I sue ACHD or ITD if a signal malfunctioned?
Potentially. Claims against ACHD, ITD, cities, and counties are governed by the Idaho Tort Claims Act under Idaho Code Section 6-901, which requires written notice of tort claim within 180 days of the crash. Discretionary-function immunity may apply to some design decisions but does not shield negligent maintenance or failure to respond to a documented malfunction. Call us immediately if a signal malfunction may be involved — the 180-day deadline runs from the date of the crash.
What if I was partly at fault — I was going a little fast?
You can still recover as long as your percentage of fault is less than 50 percent under Idaho Code Section 6-801. Your damages are reduced proportionally but not eliminated. A driver who was 5 mph over the speed limit and was struck by a driver who ran a red light at full speed is not going to be found 50 percent at fault. The proportionality of the conduct matters significantly in the fault allocation.
How do you preserve intersection camera footage?
By sending written preservation demands to the maintaining agency and to nearby private businesses the same day we are retained. ACHD and ITD intersection cameras, when they exist at a location, may overwrite within days. Gas station, bank, and convenience store cameras at intersection corners — which are often the most useful because they capture approach speed and signal color simultaneously — typically overwrite on 7- to 30-day cycles. Acting the same day we are retained is not aggressive lawyering — it is basic evidence preservation.
How long do I have to file an intersection accident claim in Idaho?
Two years from the date of the crash under Idaho Code Section 5-219 for claims against private parties. Claims against government entities — ACHD, ITD, cities, counties — require a written notice of tort claim within 180 days under Idaho Code Section 6-901. The 180-day deadline for government claims is the shorter and more dangerous of the two. If a signal malfunction, poor road design, or lack of maintenance may have contributed to your crash, call us immediately.
What does it cost to hire Hepworth Holzer?
Nothing upfront. We handle intersection crash cases on a contingency fee — we only get paid if we recover compensation for you. The initial consultation is free, and you will speak with a real lawyer.
Injured in a Boise Intersection Crash? Call Us Today.
Intersection crash evidence disappears faster than almost any other crash type. Signal timing data rolls off. Cameras overwrite. Witnesses scatter. Hepworth Holzer moves immediately when we are retained — preservation letters go out the same day, signal data requests follow within days, and the investigation is underway before the other side has finished filing their claim. The consultation is free. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.
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