Rollover Accident Lawyers

Rollover accidents occur when a vehicle loses balance on the road and rolls onto its side or top. These accidents may even involve a car rolling over more than one time. Rollovers are often serious car accidents, causing multiple injuries and even wrongful death to drivers and passengers inside the affected vehicles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rollover crashes account for approximately 30 percent of passenger vehicle occupant fatalities. The proportion of fatalities that are attributable to rollovers is highest among the light trucks, 47 percent compared with 22 percent of passenger car occupant fatalities.

A number of these crashes occur when a driver loses control of the vehicle and it begins to go sideways. When this occurs, an object such as a curb, guardrail, or uneven ground could trip the vehicle and cause it rollover. Rollover crashes may also happen when a driver attempts to turn the vehicle at a high rate of speed. In such cases, the friction between the road and the tires could cause the vehicle to tip and roll over. Multi-vehicle rollovers are also common. This is where a vehicle may be struck by another vehicle. The force of the collision may cause one or more vehicles to roll over.

There are a number of reasons why rollover accidents occur. Here are some of the most common causes of these devastating crashes:

• Excessive Speed: Whether it is a single-vehicle crash or one involving two or more vehicles, excessive speed is one of the most common causes of rollover accidents. Vehicles involved in high-speed collisions may tip over to the side or completely roll over either trapping occupants inside or partially or fully ejecting them
• Drugs or Alcohol: When drivers are impaired, the probability of a rollover crash is much higher. Drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs lack the skill and judgment to drive in a safe manner. They are more likely make mistakes or drive recklessly endangering the safety of others
• Vehicle Defects: Design or manufacturing defects in vehicles could also lead to rollover collisions. Many vehicles today come with electronic stability control or ESC, a feature that helps prevent rollover collisions
• Tire Defects: Very often, we see that vehicles that experience tire failure also tend to roll over. This is particularly true for SUVs or other vehicles such as 15-passenger vans. When there is a tire tread separation or tire failure, it is much more difficult for a driver to regain control of the vehicle

The majority of rollover crash victims sustain multiple injuries throughout five main areas: head and neck, thorax, abdomen, upper limbs, and lower limbs; the regions with the head and neck being the most vulnerable area. Some of the most common rollover injuries include:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Broken bones
• Cuts, scrapes, and bruises

These injuries are usually caused from slamming into another vehicle or obstacle, impact with unsecured cargo, contact with broken glass or torn metal, or from being tossed within the vehicle or ejected from the vehicle.

The long term effects of these injuries can include impairment of critical functions such as speech, vision, memory, and emotional control, partial vision loss or blindness, loss of hearing, loss of teeth or dental injury, chronic back pain, amputation to the arms or legs, and a variety of internal damages to nerves, veins, and organs.