Any type of car accident can result in serious injuries. Vehicle rollover accidents, however, are particularly violent in nature and this type of accident often results in serious, debilitating injury or fatality for those involved. In the wake of a serious car accident, victims who have suffered major physical, emotional or financial losses will need the help of an experienced rollover accident lawyer in San Diego to find success in the recovery process. You do not have to accept the harm and loss your family has suffered as a result of a San Diego vehicle rollover accident. Contact our personal injury lawyers at DAG Law Firm today to discuss your legal options.
Affordable San Diego Rollover Accident Lawyer
Rollover accidents are one of the least common types of motor vehicle accidents, but the injuries they cause are often the most severe. For example, while rollover accidents accounted for only 2.1% of the nearly 9.1 million crashes that occurred in 2010, they accounted for a whopping 35% of deaths from those accidents. Our personal injury attorneys at DAG Law Firm will work tirelessly to protect your rights and help you pursue the compensation you deserve from the person or party found at fault in your rollover accident. We believe in helping innocent people who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents in San Diego and throughout southern California, and our reputation as reputable, experienced personal injury lawyers will serve as an asset to your claim. It’s important to hire an attorney as soon as you can following a vehicle rollover accident, so our team can get to work gathering the necessary evidence and building a strong case for your innocence.
Common Causes of Rollover Accidents in San Diego
Rollover accidents have the highest rate of vehicle occupant fatality, due to the head and spinal cord injuries that can result from the roof crushing or caving in. The average passenger car in the United States weighs more than two tons, and when a vehicle flips over onto its side or roof, the consequences can be devastating for everyone involved, regardless of the cause of the accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are six main factors that contribute to the risk of rollover accidents:
- Type of Vehicle – Any vehicle can be involved in a rollover accident, but vehicles that are taller and narrower, like pickup trucks, SUVs and vans, have a higher center of gravity and are more likely to rollover in an accident.
- Speed – Statistics show that close to 40% of fatal rollover accidents involve excessive speeding. In addition, nearly 75% of fatal rollover accidents took place in areas where the posted speed limit was 55 MPH or higher.
- Rural Roads – Roads with barriers and clear divisions help reduce the risk of rollover accidents. Nearly 75% of fatal rollovers occur on rural roads and in rural areas without these safety measures.
- Alcohol – Almost half of all fatal vehicle rollover accidents involve a drunk driver. Even having just a few drinks can reduce muscle coordination and slow reflexes, which increases the likelihood of the driver losing control of his vehicle and causing a rollover accident.
- Single-Vehicle Crashes – Statistics show that nearly 85% of all rollover accident deaths are the result of single-vehicle crashes, meaning the only vehicle involved in the accident is the vehicle that rolled over.
- Routine Driving – According to NHTSA data, more than 90% of rollover accidents involve drivers engaged in routine driving maneuvers, such as driving straight ahead or negotiating a curve. This shows that road conditions and vehicle type play a significant role in the risk of rollover accidents.
Injuries Resulting from a Vehicle Rollover Accident
Drivers and passengers often feel safer in SUVs and large trucks, because they believe big, heavy vehicles will offer them more protection in the event of an accident. However, rollover accidents can cause a wide range of serious, life-threatening or fatal injuries, no matter how large the vehicle is. In fact, these types of sport utility vehicles are typically taller than small passenger cars and are more prone to rolling when involved in an accident, causing occupants to be injured by a crushed roof or by impact with the steering wheel, or be ejected from the vehicle altogether. The most common injuries resulting from a vehicle rollover accident include:
- Whiplash
- Spinal cord injury
- Neck injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Open head injury
- Closed head injury
- Arm and shoulder injury
- Leg, foot and knee injury
- Organ damage
- Internal bleeding
- Paralysis
- Loss of limbs
- Fractures
- Broken bones
- Crush injuries
Even if you don’t appear to have suffered any serious injuries, it is critical that you seek medical attention as soon as possible following a vehicle rollover accident. Some injuries, such as whiplash or chronic back pain, may take days or even weeks to emerge, at which point it may be difficult to connect the injury to the accident without a medical report on file.
Determining Liability in Vehicle Rollover Accidents
In most automobile collisions and vehicle rollover accidents, the key issue is determining who is at fault, or liable, for the accident. Usually, if another driver involved in the accident is negligent, meaning he or she did not practice reasonable care or caution while driving, that driver will be held liable for the accident and your resulting injuries. In some cases, however, the law may assign fault to a person who wasn’t driving, or to another person or party that wasn’t physically involved in the accident at all. For example, if your San Diego rollover accident occurred due to a blow-out from a faulty tire, which caused your vehicle to flip, you may have grounds to file a claim against the tire manufacturer for making a defective product. The parties most commonly found at fault in vehicle rollover accidents are: negligent or reckless drivers who fail to obey traffic laws, negligent automobile manufacturers or auto parts manufacturers responsible for producing a defective product, or city or state government agencies who fail to maintain safe roadways.
Seeking Compensation for Rollover Accident Injuries
Traumatic injuries resulting from a rollover accident can significantly affect your quality of life and your ability to work and support your family. Unfortunately, you can’t always depend on your insurance company – or the other person’s – to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Insurance companies care about one thing – making a profit – and it’s not in their best interest to help you recover the compensation you are owed. An attorney, on the other hand, will work for you and you alone, protecting your rights and helping you recover damages from the person or party found at fault in your rollover accident. If your accident was caused by a defective auto part, poorly maintained roadway, careless driver or another negligent party, you may be able to pursue financial compensation for your injuries, medical bills, emotional trauma, lost wages and other related damages.
Free Rollover Accident Consultation in San Diego
A serious car accident has the potential to change your family’s life forever, possibly resulting in severe injuries, permanent disfigurement or even wrongful death. Helping you pursue financial compensation that matches the severity of your injuries is our number one priority, and we will work with you to recover all your accident-related losses, including lost wages, emotional pain and suffering, permanent disability, and medical expenses. Filing a personal injury claim in the aftermath of a vehicle rollover accident can be confusing, frustrating and stressful, especially if you are the one who was injured in the accident. If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries in a vehicle rollover accident in San Diego, contact our knowledgeable personal injury lawyers at DAG Law Firm today for a free consultation.
