Rollover accidents can be very serious and are more likely to cause fatalities than any other crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. About one in five fatal accidents involve rollovers, and serious injuries are also common. There is no single cause of these dangerous crashes, but there are multiple risk factors, many of which you can address to mitigate risk. In this article, we’ll talk about the different causes of rollovers and how you can lower your odds of having one.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a rollover or any other car accident, you may be dealing with a lot of stress, from medical bills to missing days at work to dealing with insurance companies. Having the help of a knowledgeable Georgia car accident lawyer will take much of the stress off your shoulders and allow you to focus on your recovery.
Attorney Ali Awad has been fighting for clients since he founded the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, which he quickly expanded to become the fastest-growing law firm in the country, ahead of 499 others. When he’s not negotiating a better deal with the insurance companies or representing clients in the courtroom, he offers entertaining yet useful legal knowledge to more than a million social media followers. The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm is always available for a free consultation, and if we take your case, there’s no fee until we win.
What is a Rollover Accident?
A rollover accident occurs when the vehicle flips onto its side or roof. Sometimes it may roll over multiple times, especially if it flips on a downhill slope. The majority of people killed in rollovers were not wearing seat belts, and there is a strong chance of being ejected from the vehicle when it flips. Not all rollovers can be prevented, but you can improve your odds of surviving one by always wearing a seat belt.
How Do Cars Flip Over?
There are two kinds of rollovers: Tripped and untripped. Tripped accidents are caused by external factors, like being hit by another vehicle. Untripped accidents are due to weight imbalance and are often caused by driver errors related to speed or turning. A number of situations can contribute to both of these kinds of accidents, and sometimes there is more than one contributing factor in the same rollover. For example, a driver might be speeding around a curve in a car with a design flaw.
Here are some common contributing factors for car rollover accidents:
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- In the right conditions, all vehicles can be flipped, but those with a high center of gravity, like a pickup truck or SUV, are at higher risk. There is also an elevated concern with small cars due to their lower weight.
- Anything that makes a vehicle more top-heavy can also increase risk. For example, packing luggage on top of the car shifts more weight higher in the vehicle, which can contribute to a rollover.
- A connected trailer that is also top-heavy, poorly secured, or flips for any other reason can easily take the towing vehicle with it when it rolls. The vehicle may also flip while the larger and more stable trailer remains upright.
- Weather conditions. Have you ever felt like you were being pushed all over the road on a windy day? Combined with other factors, a strong gust of wind may sometimes topple a vehicle. Rain, snow, sleet, ice, and other weather conditions that make it more difficult to control the car also increase the risk of a rollover.
- Road conditions. Potholes, debris on the road, oil slicks, wildlife that picks the wrong time to cross the street – all of these situations can take you by surprise and may lead to sudden changes in speed or direction, which can also prompt a rollover. Roads designed with hairpin turns or multiple S-curves are also more dangerous.
- Speeding. This puts you at risk for many accidents, and rollovers are no exception. Be especially careful going around curves, as taking them too fast is a particularly big risk for rollovers.
- Overcorrecting. It’s natural to want to correct a mistake if you overshoot a turn, but try to do so slowly and calmly. Jerking the wheel can lead to a flip.
- Intoxicated or tired driving. Get plenty of rest before driving and don’t drive if you’ve been drinking.
- Distracted driving. Taking your attention off the road to look at a phone or fiddle with the dashboard controls can lead to a situation where you make a quick move to correct, which can be dangerous.
- Aggressive driving. Road rage is bad for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes people speed up or make sudden moves to get around other drivers who make them angry, which can cause a flip.
- Other drivers. Side impacts are particularly problematic as far as causing rollovers. Sometimes being T-boned by another vehicle or smacked by a swinging trailer can cause a car to flip.
- Road rage or aggression from the other driver’s side is also a possible cause. If another motorist is driving aggressively, don’t respond with your own aggression. Slow down and do everything in your power to put as much distance between your vehicle and theirs. If possible, find a safe place to pull over so they can go around. Resist the urge to yell back or return hand gestures, even if they started it.
- Design flaws in the vehicle. Have you ever heard the term “roof crush?” This refers to what happens in an accident when the roof of a vehicle caves in, usually while being “crunched” from the sides. Essentially, roof crush means that the roof has failed. Given enough force, any vehicle roof will fail, but there are specific guidelines about how much roof crush is permissible. If the roof fails beyond these limits, you may have a case against the manufacturer. Your lawyer will ask you questions to determine if there was a typical level of roof crush in your accident.
Contact the Injury and Accident Attorneys at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm
If you or someone you love has been injured in a rollover accident, the insurance company may give you a hard time or try to blame you for the crash. While safe driving measures can lower your risk, you may not have been able to do anything to avoid your rollover. If someone else’s negligence was the major factor, you deserve compensation for your damages. Not sure what happened or if you have a case?
Contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm. Your consultation is free, and as always, we have a no-win, no-fee policy, so you have nothing to lose. Call our injury and accident attorneys at (470) 323-8779 or visit us online to see what your case is worth.
