Michael Pines | September 24, 2026 | Truck Accidents
Large commercial trucks require substantially more room to maneuver than ordinary passenger vehicles. One of the most dangerous examples occurs when a tractor-trailer makes a wide turn and a smaller vehicle becomes trapped between the truck and a curb, wall, guardrail, or another fixed object. This type of collision is commonly referred to as a “squeeze play” truck accident.
Although squeeze-play accidents often happen at relatively low speeds, they can cause devastating injuries. A passenger vehicle caught alongside a moving tractor-trailer has very little room to escape, and the tremendous size and weight difference between the vehicles can result in the smaller vehicle being crushed, pushed onto a curb, or dragged beneath part of the truck.
For drivers in San Diego, understanding why trucks make wide turns – and why these crashes happen – can help reduce the risk of a serious collision.
Quick Highlights
- A squeeze-play truck accident occurs when a smaller vehicle becomes trapped between a turning commercial truck and a curb, wall, guardrail, or other obstacle.
- These accidents are especially associated with wide right turns made by tractor-trailers.
- Large trucks may initially move to the left before making a right turn, which can cause nearby motorists to mistakenly believe the truck is changing lanes.
- Truck drivers must account for blind spots, surrounding traffic, and the space their trailers require while turning.
- Failure to signal, adequately check mirrors, or properly execute a turn may contribute to a squeeze-play accident.
- Evidence such as surveillance footage, dashcam video, onboard truck cameras, electronic data, witness statements, and vehicle damage can be important when determining liability.
- Under California’s comparative negligence rules, more than one person may share responsibility for a truck accident.
What Does “Squeeze Play” Mean in a Truck Accident?
A squeeze play typically occurs when a tractor-trailer is preparing to make a wide turn – most commonly a right turn – and a passenger vehicle is positioned next to the truck.
Because tractor-trailers are much longer than passenger vehicles, the tractor and trailer do not follow exactly the same path during a turn. The truck driver may need to move farther left before turning right so the trailer has enough clearance to get around the corner.
To another motorist, however, that initial movement may look like the truck is simply moving into the left lane.
The passenger vehicle may then move forward into the space that appears to have opened on the truck’s right side. As the truck begins its right turn, the trailer moves toward the curb and closes that space. The smaller vehicle can become trapped between the trailer and the curb, a parked vehicle, a concrete barrier, a wall, or another obstacle.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) specifically cautions motorists that large trucks may move left before making a right turn and advises drivers to wait until the truck has completed its turn rather than attempting to travel between the truck and the curb.
Why Do Commercial Trucks Need to Make Such Wide Turns?
A tractor-trailer cannot maneuver through an intersection in the same way that a passenger vehicle can.
The length of the trailer means its rear wheels take a tighter path through a turn than the tractor itself. If a truck driver turns too sharply, the trailer may strike a curb, pole, pedestrian area, parked vehicle, or another object.
As a result, truck drivers sometimes need to create additional space before beginning the turn. During a right turn, that can mean positioning the tractor farther to the left before steering back toward the right.
FMCSA advises commercial truck and bus drivers that large vehicles require additional space and time to turn and instructs drivers to make wide turns carefully and signal appropriately.
The maneuver itself is not necessarily unsafe. The danger arises when the driver fails to properly account for surrounding vehicles or when another motorist enters the rapidly narrowing area alongside the trailer.
A Typical Squeeze-Play Accident
Consider a driver approaching an intersection next to a tractor-trailer.
The truck slows down and begins drifting slightly toward the left. The passenger vehicle driver believes the truck is changing lanes and continues straight in the right lane.
In reality, the truck driver is preparing to turn right.
As the tractor enters the intersection, the trailer begins moving across the passenger vehicle’s path. The driver suddenly has nowhere to go: the trailer is on one side and the curb is on the other.
Within seconds, the vehicle may be struck, crushed against the curb, pushed onto the sidewalk, or caught beneath a portion of the trailer.
This sequence is why squeeze-play collisions can happen so quickly, even when neither vehicle is traveling particularly fast.
What Causes Squeeze-Play Truck Accidents?
Every truck accident is different, and determining exactly why a squeeze-play collision occurred usually requires an investigation.
Potential contributing factors may include:
Failure to Use a Turn Signal
A truck that moves left without clearly signaling a right turn can create confusion for surrounding motorists.
A driver traveling behind or beside the truck may reasonably interpret its movement as a lane change rather than preparation for a wide turn.
Failing to Check Blind Spots
Commercial trucks have substantial blind spots, sometimes called “No-Zones,” along their sides, front, and rear. FMCSA advises commercial drivers to continually monitor their mirrors and remain aware of vehicles entering these areas.
Before beginning a turn, a truck driver should be aware of vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, and other road users who could be affected by the maneuver.
Improperly Executing a Wide Turn
Truck drivers must leave enough space to complete a turn safely without unnecessarily placing nearby motorists at risk.
Beginning a turn from an unsafe position, turning too sharply, or failing to properly monitor the trailer’s path may contribute to an accident.
Driver Distraction
A driver looking at a GPS system, dispatch device, phone, radio, or another distraction may fail to notice a vehicle traveling alongside the trailer.
Even a brief lapse in attention can be dangerous when maneuvering an 18-wheeler through a crowded intersection.
Inadequate Training or Experience
Safely maneuvering a tractor-trailer requires specialized skills. An inexperienced driver may misjudge the trailer’s path, underestimate the amount of space required, or fail to recognize that another vehicle has entered a blind spot.
A Passenger Vehicle Attempting to Pass on the Right
Drivers of smaller vehicles must also use caution around turning trucks.
When a truck slows down or appears to move left near an intersection, motorists should avoid attempting to pass on the truck’s right side until it is clear what the truck driver intends to do. FMCSA specifically warns motorists not to try to squeeze between a right-turning commercial vehicle and the curb.
Who Can Be Liable for a Squeeze-Play Truck Accident?
Determining liability requires examining the circumstances surrounding the crash rather than simply assuming that the truck driver – or the passenger vehicle driver – was responsible.
Potentially responsible parties could include:
- The truck driver, if negligent driving contributed to the collision
- The trucking company, depending on the driver’s employment relationship and circumstances surrounding the crash
- Another motorist, if that driver’s conduct contributed to the collision
- Other companies or parties involved in the truck’s operation, depending on the particular facts of the accident
For example, evidence may show that a truck driver failed to signal before making a right turn, did not adequately monitor the truck’s mirrors, or began turning while another vehicle was already alongside the trailer.
Conversely, evidence could show that a motorist attempted to accelerate past a clearly signaling truck on the right.
In some cases, responsibility may be shared.
California follows a pure comparative negligence system. This means an injured person can potentially recover compensation even if they share some responsibility for an accident, although their recovery may be reduced according to their percentage of fault.
What Evidence Can Help Determine How a Squeeze-Play Accident Happened?
Truck accident claims can involve significantly more evidence than an ordinary two-car collision.
Important evidence following a squeeze-play accident may include:
- Police accident reports
- Photos and videos from the accident scene
- Damage patterns on both vehicles
- Traffic surveillance cameras
- Business security cameras near the intersection
- Dashcam footage
- Witness statements
- Onboard truck camera recordings
- Electronic control module or “black box” data
- Truck driver logs
- GPS and fleet tracking records
- Cell phone or dispatch records, when relevant
- Trucking company safety and training records
- Accident reconstruction evidence
Truck accident investigations may involve evidence ranging from black-box information and onboard camera footage to traffic cameras, witness statements, driver logs, and accident reconstruction analysis.
Physical vehicle damage can also help tell the story. Scraping or crushing along the side of a passenger vehicle, for example, may help investigators determine the direction in which the truck and trailer were moving when contact occurred.
Obtaining evidence quickly can be important because some video footage and electronic records may not be preserved indefinitely.
What Injuries Can Squeeze-Play Truck Accidents Cause?
The combination of a large commercial vehicle and a confined space can produce enormous forces.
The passenger compartment of a smaller vehicle may absorb much of the impact when it becomes pinned between a trailer and a fixed object.
Potential injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken or crushed bones
- Internal organ damage
- Severe lacerations
- Nerve injuries
- Amputations
- Crushing injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries
In particularly severe cases, a squeeze-play accident can also result in fatal injuries and potential wrongful death claims.
What Should You Do After a Squeeze-Play Truck Accident?
If you are involved in a collision with a commercial truck, your health and safety should come first.
Seek medical attention for injuries and call law enforcement so the accident can be documented. If you are physically able to do so safely, consider taking photographs or video of the vehicles, intersection, traffic lanes, skid marks, road signs, and surrounding businesses that may have surveillance cameras.
Try to obtain contact information from witnesses as well.
You should also preserve any dashcam footage from your own vehicle and avoid repairing or disposing of the vehicle before potentially important physical evidence has been documented.
Because trucking companies and commercial insurers may begin investigating an accident quickly, injured motorists may benefit from speaking with an attorney who understands commercial truck claims and the evidence that may need to be preserved.
How Can Drivers Reduce the Risk of a Squeeze-Play Accident?
Drivers sharing the road with tractor-trailers should give trucks additional room near intersections.
FMCSA recommends that motorists anticipate wide turns, pay attention to turn signals, avoid lingering in truck blind spots, and wait for a large vehicle to finish turning before proceeding.
Some practical precautions include:
- Do not assume that a truck moving left is necessarily changing lanes.
- Watch the truck’s turn signals.
- Avoid driving alongside a truck approaching an intersection whenever possible.
- Never attempt to squeeze between a right-turning truck and the curb.
- Avoid lingering in a truck’s blind spots.
- Give commercial trucks additional space to complete turns.
- Be particularly cautious around trucks on narrow or congested city streets.
Truck drivers likewise have a responsibility to remain attentive, check their surroundings, properly signal their intentions, and execute wide turns carefully.
Injured in a Squeeze-Play Truck Accident in San Diego?
A squeeze-play crash can happen in seconds, but the resulting injuries may affect someone for months, years, or even permanently.
Determining what happened may require examining the truck driver’s actions, the position of both vehicles, surveillance video, electronic truck data, witness accounts, company records, and other evidence.
If you or someone you love was injured in a wide-turn or squeeze-play collision, the San Diego truck accident lawyers at Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers can investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash and help you understand your legal options.
Pines Salomon has been representing personal injury victims in San Diego for more than 30 years. Contact the firm today for a free consultation to discuss your truck accident claim.
We proudly serve San Diego, San Diego County, and its surrounding areas:
Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers – San Diego Office
835 5th Avenue #302, San Diego, CA 92101
(858) 551-2090
Available 24/7
Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers – La Jolla Office
4660 La Jolla Village Dr. San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 585-9031
Available 24/7
Enjoy this article? Add us as a Preferred Source on Google or Add us as a trusted source on ChatGPT