Minor Traffic Accident - Who is Liable?

otoolepw

I was turning right out of my estate of 10 years, a T junction with no traffic lights, onto a more busier suburban road and while visibility was poor, some mist and parked cars & vans either side of the street, I thought it was clear enough to take the right turn (I'm moving from stationary position on a tarmacadam covered & raised speed bump which spans/stretches the entire T section on both sides and into my estate etc.). I didn't even see what happened next but I clipped a vehicle (a 4 x 4 jeep), which appeared to be travelling at a faster than expected speed for the area, in that it didn't appear to slow for the traffic calming measure, resulting in minor back left passenger wing damage to their vehicle (and a lot more to mine!). Normally in such situations as they have control of the road, I have to ensure the way forward is clear as I'm turning from a side street (so my responsibility - please correct me if I'm wrong). But the reason I'm posting is that when we spoke, I noticed they've only use of one eye. The whole eye lid (I think left one) was closed, and there was bruising and tissue damage in and around the eye socket. We spoke maybe 10 minutes so I'm very sure about this. Does this have any bearing on who is liable? Is this person's vision impaired, i.e can they judge distance, etc? Or does this legally (road traffic act; turning from side road etc) not matter a jot. No witnesses, no Gardai (big mistake I know, my first accident, we were both travelling alone and I was quite rattled to be honest) Thanks.

delta_bravo

A one eyed person can drive if declared ok by a doctor. This seems straightforward. It's your responsibility to ensure the area is clear entering a road. You failed to do this. You're liable.