Rollover accidents are one of the most serious types of auto accidents, and are associated with a high rate of fatality and catastrophic injury. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people are killed each year in vehicle rollover accidents. Sport utility vehicles have the highest rollover rate of any vehicle, but pickup trucks, minivans, 15-passenger vans and passenger vehicle can also overturn given the right conditions.

Causes of Rollover Accidents

Although rollover accidents are often associated with careless driving, they may occur for numerous reasons. In some cases, injuries sustained in a rollover accident may be due to substandard safety features in a vehicle, and not the accident itself. Especially in rollover accidents, it is important to choose an attorney familiar the causes of rollover accidents, and the causes of injury in rollover accidents:

Vehicle Design: Sport utility vehicles have a high center of gravity and narrow wheelbase, which together, make a vehicle unstable in quick turns or maneuvers, especially at higher speeds.

Tire Blowouts: Tire blowouts, especially blowouts in rear tires, can cause a driver to lose control of a vehicle, which can result in a rollover.

Overcorrection: When a driver is distracted or falls asleep, the vehicle may veer off the side of the road onto a shoulder, ditch, or guardrail. Once the driver realizes the direction of the vehicle, in an attempt to regain control quickly, the driver may jerk the wheel in the other direction, causing loss of control, or in some cases, a rollover.

Weight: Carrying a lot of weight in a car or on top of a car can increase the risk of a rollover. Although many people think that weight in a vehicle makes it more stable, in reality, increased weight, either cargo or occupants, brings the center of gravity further away from the ground.

Speed: Rollover accidents are common at highway and freeway speeds, and the majority of fatal accidents occur at speeds higher than 55 mph.

Roof Crush Injuries

Weak vehicle roofs and roof supports can collapse during a rollover and cause catastrophic injury or death. Thousands of people have suffered permantly disabling injuries such as spinal cord injuries, vertebrae burst fractures, and traumatic brain injuries, when the roof of the vehicle crushes the occupants head during a rollover. Although the government passed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216 in 1973, which created a standard roof strength test to measure the integrity of roof structure in motor vehicles, the standard is so minimal that some argue it’s hard to build a model that cannot pass it.

Seat Belt Defects and Ejection Injuries

Statistically, you have a five times greater chance of being killed or seriously injured if you are ejected or thrown from a vehicle in an accident. Some seatbelt systems have failed in accidents, causing occupants to be ejected and law enforcement investigators to believe the occupants were not wearing a seat belt. Virtually every auto maker, including Volvo, GM, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Kia, Ford and Chyrsler have recalled vehicles due to problems with their seatbelts that pose safety issues or have caused serious injury or death.

SUV Rollover Accident Product Liability Claims

Automakers have paid out millions to drivers and passengers injured in SUV rollover accidents. In 2010, a Southern California jury ordered Ford Motor Company to pay $23.5 million to a San Bernardino woman who became a quadriplegic as a result of her injuries sustained in a Ford Explorer rollover accident on Interstate 15 in 2007. At trial, the jury was shown safety memos that demonstrated Ford knew that the Explorer lost control very easily in the absence of rear tire tread, and documents offering engineer recommendations to improve the safety of the vehicle. Jurors also saw evidence that management turned down these recommendations. This is just one such case of many SUV rollover lawsuits.

California SUV Rollover Accident Attorneys

When automakers knowingly put profits above the safety of their customers, they should be held accountable. Choosing the right attorney is essential for a rollover accident, because SUV rollover claims can be very expensive to litigate, and are vigorously defended. After an accident resulting in serious injury or the wrongful death of a loved one, an attorney who has successfully won lawsuits against automakers in auto defect product liability cases can help you hold the parties responsible for your injuries responsible to the maximum extent. If you would like more information or have been involved in a SUV rollover accident in California, contact us for a free consultation of your legal rights.