The closest you want to come to a rollover accident is watching a chase scene in a movie. Veteran drivers of Interstates 35 and 69W in Laredo have seen many - the aftermath, anyway - during slow crawls past accident scenes.
Most rollovers happen when a driver loses control of the vehicle, which tends to start a chain reaction resulting in the vehicle tipping onto its side or roof. Often, rollovers lead to a partial or full ejection of those inside the vehicle.
How prevalent are rollover accidents?
Rollover accidents are common. In 2016, approximately 7,488 people died in crashes involving rolled over vehicles. About three-quarters of rollover deaths occur in single-vehicle crashes. Sixty-seven percent of people killed in rollovers were not wearing seatbelts. Speed is often a major factor, with most rollover accidents happening when speed limits are more than 55 miles per hour.
Rollovers are more common for SUVs and pickups than cars, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). The high clearance of SUVs and trucks makes these vehicles more likely to tip over when hitting an obstruction on the road.
Other factors that can result in a rollover include:
- Slippery road conditions
- Side-impact crashes
- Lane-departure accidents
- Head-on collisions
The good and not-so-good news
With the advent of electronic stability control – a computerized technology that improves stability for SUVs and trucks – along with stronger roofs, things are safer for those behind the wheel.
The 2018 Ford-150 received a Top Safety Pick Award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The truck received “good scores’’ in all five crash categories tested by the IIHS. The ratings apply to the crew cab and extended cab models.
In 2016, the Ford F-150 was the first pickup to win an IIHS safety award. The NHTSA reported that the Nissan NV3500 van/SUV had the worst rating of any large vehicle with a rollover risk of 30.6 percent.
Finding out who is responsible for causing a rollover accident may take some crash forensics. The vehicle manufacturer or a negligent driver could be held accountable. If you were a passenger in a vehicle with a motorist who was behaving recklessly, he or she may be held responsible for your injuries.
If you need a highly skilled personal injury attorney in Texas, look no further than the Law Offices of John Solis, in Laredo. He is experienced getting the compensation for those dealing with physical, emotional and financial pain after an accident.
Contact him today to schedule your free, confidential case evaluation.