According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 30 percent of all fatalities in car accidents happen when there is a rollover. Even when passengers survive the crash, they can suffer serious injuries, including some that can be nothing short of life-altering. While many believe that rollover accidents are caused by excessive speed or wild driving, that’s not always the case.
Even in the case of a single-vehicle rollover accident, the driver is not always responsible for the accident. In many cases, faulty or defective vehicle designs, defective manufacturing or even defective or poorly designed roadways can be contributors to rollover accidents. Knowing what causes rollover accidents can not only help avoid such accidents, but it can help in knowing what to do in the case of such an accident.
Common causes and/or contributing factors, to vehicle rollovers:
- Tripping – According to the NHTSA, roughly 95 percent of all rollover accidents happen when one of your vehicle’s tires strikes something that interrupts the motion of your vehicle and causes it to pitch forward or sideways into roll. Many objects can result in tripping, including a soft shoulder, a bump, a large rock, or a curb.
- Tire Failure – If a vehicle’s tires are defective or excessively worn, they can fail, resulting in a loss of control that can lead to a rollover. Of course, a tire blowout can result in the vehicle tripping all on its own.
- Roadway Hazards – Sometimes, rollovers can be caused by poor road maintenance, a lack of warning signs as a vehicle approaches a construction zone and preventable hazardous conditions can sometimes cause a vehicle to roll over.
- High Center of Gravity – Many vehicles, especially minivans, SUVs and large pickup trucks, have higher profiles, which makes their designs more prone to rollovers than other vehicles, even under relatively mild conditions.
- Multi-vehicle Accidents – Rollovers can often happen when vehicles are struck from the side by another vehicle. In fact, according to the NHTSA, one out of every five rollover accidents happens this way.
If you have been injured in a rollover accident, it may be difficult to tell exactly who or what caused your accident and your injuries. It could be another driver, it could be road conditions, or it could even be a defect built into your vehicle. In addition, the actions of other drivers and weather conditions may exacerbate the potential risk of a rollover accident. Even if you suspect you know what caused your auto accident, there may have been a number of contributing factors at play as well, and you need someone on your side to thoroughly investigate every aspect of your situation and gather the evidence needed to identify all responsible parties.
Vehicle Rollovers Lawyers
If you or someone you love has been in a serious accident including a rollover and was injured, there are a number of possible causes for the rollover, and you owe it to yourself to speak to an attorney and have them do a complete investigation to find out which ones apply. The Auto Accident Attorneys at Adame Garza can conduct that investigation, uncovering the evidence you need to have in order to identify who is responsible and hold them accountable. Contact us today and see how we can help you.
English 
Spanish