SUV Rollovers
Has a member of your family been injured or killed because of a vehicle rollover accident in which the road conditions or even the vehicle itself caused the accident? Our client, a young woman driving her car, was flipped over as a result of a defective condition on the road. Sullivan and Sullivan LLP fought for her chance at fair compensation and won $200,000 on her behalf.
To prove a road defect was present or that there was a design or manufacturing defect, you need an experienced SUV rollover accident attorney. If you or someone you know has suffered an accident like this, contact Sullivan and Sullivan LLP for a free case evaluation.
– Roughly 11,000 fatal rollover accidents occur every year
– Rollover accidents make up more than half of all single-vehicle auto accident deaths
– Rollover accidents increase your risk of serious personal injury by 36%
– Over 90% of rollover accidents involve a single vehicle
Although SUV rollovers do not occur as often as other automobile accidents, when they do occur they have a higher chance of resulting in serious injury or death and are considered to be the most fatal type of vehicle accident on national roadways. According to the Federal Highway Administration, SUV rollover accidents account for more than side and rear fatal vehicle accidents combined, and SUV rollovers are three times more likely to occur than the average passenger car rollover.
Although SUV’s were designed primarily for the purpose of off-roading, manufacturers have since discovered their immense popularity as family vehicles. Manufacturers have begun removing roll bars in current models. SUV seat structures are not designed to keep occupants in place during a rollover, regardless of whether seatbelts are worn. Vehicle roofs, windshields and side windows easily collapse, increasing the risk of occupant head, brain and spinal cord and back injuries. While the body of an SUV remains the same as it would if used for off-roading, the removal of the roll bars, combined with the high center gravity due to multiple passengers, make rollover accidents and occupant ejection that much more lethal.
The majority of SUV rollover accidents happen when the vehicle runs off the road. Poor weather conditions, such as icy or wet road, ditches, speeding, or different pavement materials can cause an SUV to fishtail. Often, the driver overcorrects their steering, the vehicle runs off the road and possibly rolls over.
During a rollover accident, the SUV turns over on its side or roof. This generally occurs when:
– The vehicle is making a sharp turn at high speeds
– The vehicle loses control and veers off the road
– Poor weather conditions exist, causing the vehicle to skid or fishtail
The auto accident attorneys at Sullivan and Sullivan LLP can help you receive the compensation you deserve if you have been seriously injured in an SUV rollover accident. Even if there are no other vehicles involved in the accident, it is possible that vehicle defects contributed to your injuries. If our lawyers determine that a defective auto was responsible for your accident, we can help you hold the auto manufacturer responsible for your injuries.
A personal injury sustained in a vehicle accident might become formal civil court case/proceeding or may be solved through an informal settlement prior to a lawsuit being filed.