Can you help me determine the at-fault driver?

This is a civil case and for that amount of damages it would be a miracle if it was moved to the regular docket to be heard. That and one must prove by a preponderance of the evidence the other party acted in such a manner as to cause the harm. If anything your friend is traumatized if she doesn't realize the other party could turn around and sue her after she Loses her case as the preponderance of the evidence is She caused the accident, not the other way around. The traffic law would stand as precedence and she failed to yield the right of way. Sorry but your friend is out of gas and the case will more than likely be dismissed long before a judge will hear it and it may only serve to make things worse by pursuing a civil case against the other party who had the right of way.

Saw your edit the bottom line is she was wrong, she caused the accident and there is no traffic rule that allows you to do what she did. If the other vehicle had the right of way you are out of gas. You can't prove the other operator was speeding unless you have speed calibrated eye balls. That is why the police use radar. She will have to use the law as it is written to pursue her case to place guilt upon the defendent. Since none exists except for the fact she was wrong legally and has no case there is no case, period.

CA Vehicle code:

Obedience to Traffic Control Signals

21462. The driver of any vehicle, the person in charge of any animal, any pedestrian, and the motorman of any streetcar shall obey the instructions of any official traffic signal applicable to him and placed as provided by law, unless otherwise directed by a police or traffic officer or when it is necessary for the purpose of avoiding a collision or in case of other emergency, subject to the exemptions granted by Section 21055.

21055 pertains to emergency vehicle, fire, ambulance etc.

California Laws Relating to Fires and Firefighters ... to the California Laws web page at ... exemption from traffic laws, conditions, effect, Veh 21055-57.

Let me preface this answer with a disclaimer: This is not leagal advice, it is merely my opinion based on my experiance as a police cadet in ohio. She is entirely at fault. I would strongly recomend that she stop with the foolish notion of a civil lawsuit. If she does she will lose and then be counter sued. The only scenerio that she might be able win under would be if the T intersection wer a 3 way stop, and the other driver ran the stop sign. Other than that it is entirely her fault. The laws in Cali and Ohio may differ, but, as far as I can tell who ever the responding officer cited as at fault, is the person who is civily liable. Did the other person flee the scene? That could influence this also. But if they did not, her emotional duress and the damage to her car was caused by her own bad driving.

Simple. If SHE had a stop sign, and the other driver didn't. She's at fault.

If you have a stop sign, you can't proceed out into the intersection (which she did) until all traffic is clear.

if the other driver was being suing they could be at partial fault if not full fault for negligence.....and whose to say she pulled out too far....this seems like it won't really last in court but she does have grounds of suing on negligence...i see this as alot of money being spent for lawyers that may just be lost.

I don't know about Cali, but every state that I lived in if she was at a complete stop, it is the other drivers fault no matter haw far out she was. But it also sound like she is gold mining.

It sounds to me like it is none of your business and your home life will be more tranquil if you stay out of it.