Rollover Accidents
Rollover Accidents
A rollover accident is dangerous. Rollover crashes are less common than other accidents but are often more fatal. Whether you have suffered an injury or lost a loved one in a rollover accident, promptly speak to a car accident attorney to find out if you have a case.
Vehicle occupants can suffer severe injuries as rollover accidents throw them around the cabin and may even eject them. You can recover compensation in a rollover accident if another person causes the crash. Talk to a personal injury attorney in your community in a free consultation to learn more.
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What Is a Rollover Accident?
A rollover accident flips or tips a vehicle onto its roof. The vehicle may only roll once but can also roll several times before stopping.
A rollover crash may leave vehicle occupants upside down or at challenging angles for first responders to remove them safely. A rollover can crush doors and windows, making rescue even more difficult. Rollover crashes also throw occupants out of the vehicle, which almost always leads to devastating injuries or death.
The vehicle is usually totaled.
In a recent year, rollover crashes caused approximately 3,596 fatalities.
Retain a wrongful death attorney immediately if a rollover accident caused by another party killed your relative.
How Does a Rollover Accident Happen?
Rollover accidents usually happen due to human error:
- Speeding: Driving over the speed limit increases the danger of a rollover accident. Taking evasive action at high speeds can cause a vehicle to overturn and roll. This is more common with SUVs and trucks with a higher center of gravity.
- Reckless driving: A sudden, sharp turn or lane change at high speed can cause a rollover accident. Sometimes, the reckless driver hits other vehicles, causing them to roll over.
- Vehicle defects: Vehicle manufacturers are liable if the vehicles they design are unsafe. Car defects often cause rollover accidents, with defective parts that include tires, brakes, and traction control systems.
- Road hazards: Hitting an object in the road, especially at high speed, can lead to a rollover crash. Many rollover accidents happen when an object is on the road, and the driver takes evasive action and overturns.
What Happens to the Body in a Rollover Accident?
Rollover accidents are hazardous. As the vehicle rolls, you are tossed violently in the car, hitting various objects before the vehicle comes to a stop. Seatbelts reduce injuries, but a crash can seriously hurt you even when you wear one.
Rollover accidents don’t always cause severe injuries (especially if you wear your seatbelt), but the potential for severe damage is higher than other accidents.
Between the accident tossing you about violently, flying objects in the car, and the final impact, you may suffer:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck, back, and spine injuries
- Paralysis
- Broken bones
- Dislocated joints
- Amputation and crush injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Blunt force trauma
- Cuts and lacerations
- Permanent disability
- Nerve damage and chronic pain
Modern safety features, such as front and side airbags, can reduce damage to the body. However, you still may have serious injuries requiring weeks, months, or even years of recovery. A rollover accident attorney can review your case today to determine if the crash happened because of someone’s negligence.
Who’s At Fault in a Rollover Accident?
A rollover crash may trigger a contentious legal dispute over fault. Determining who is liable for the crash may involve several parties or entities. A car accident attorney should immediately investigate the crash and ensure nobody wrongfully blames you for your injuries.
Liable parties may include:
- Other drivers: Driver error causes most rollover crashes. Drivers may drive distracted, recklessly, or while fatigued. You can hold them liable for your injuries and damages if they violated their duty of care and caused the rollover. Depending on the case, two or more drivers can share fault.
- Vehicle manufacturers: You can hold auto manufacturers liable under state product liability laws. For example,ins design or repair contributed to the crash. Common road problems that cause rollover crashes include potholes, improper signs, and poor road construction zone design. You usually have less time to file a claim against the government than other drivers, so retain a car accident lawyer immediately after the crash.
Rollover Accident Damages
No amount of money can make up for the loss of bodily function or the loss of a loved one in a rollover crash. However, obtaining the most compensation after a rollover accident can give you the financial resources necessary to recover from the accident or move forward if you lose your loved one.
Damages you can claim compensation for in a rollover accident settlement or verdict include:
- Medical bills and future medical expenses
- Post and future lost income
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
If you lost your loved one in the accident and file a wrongful death claim, you can receive compensation for:
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Medical bills incurred after the accident
- The deceased’s pain and suffering
- Your mental and emotional anguish
- Loss of income and financial support
- Loss of care, support, and consortium
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One-Car Rollover Accidents
You need a thorough car accident investigation, even for a one-car rollover crash. Even if no other driver hit you, another driver still can bear responsibility for your injuries.
For example, suppose a driver crossed the median and almost hit your vehicle. You took evasive action, overcorrected, rolled the car in a ditch, and broke several bones. The other driver didn’t hit you, but they caused the accident. Unfortunately, the insurance company will likely blame you, arguing that you fell asleep or drove while intoxicated.
In these single-vehicle accidents with no impact from another driver, the liable party usually flees the scene. You may hold them liable for the crash, but you must hire a car accident attorney to find the perpetrator and prove your case.
For example, surveillance footage of the crash might convince the insurance company of the other party’s liability.
Why You Should Hire a Car Accident Attorney Now
Rollover crashes often cause severe injury and death. Your or your loved one may have massive medical bills, long hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, months of lost work time, and mental and physical suffering.
Insurance companies make obtaining fair compensation for your losses difficult. Even if the liable driver’s insurance agrees to pay, it may not provide the full compensation for all your damages. This is where a seasoned auto accident attorney can reap major benefits for you.
After having a free case review and signing with an auto accident lawyer, they can help with your rollover accident claim in these ways:
- Collect auto accident evidence and obtain police reports. The police report isn’t admissible as evidence in court, but it can be useful combined with other evidence to establish who caused the accident.
- Identify all potential defendants. There may be more than one driver responsible for the accident. If the liable driver was a trucker or otherwise employed when the crash happened, their employer can be liable as well. Finding every possible defendant, especially when employers are involved, can be complicated without a car accident attorney helping you.
- Retain professional experts to analyze and recreate the crash to determine how it happened. Experts with a medical background can also establish your degree of injury and long-term medical needs.
- Attempt to settle your claim with the insurance company. Auto insurance companies may try to pay less than you deserve, but your dedicated auto accident lawyer will maximize your settlement through aggressive negotiations.
- Calculate the full amount of your damages, including current and future medical bills, lost income and loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- If needed, file your case in court and fight for the best outcome.
Not all car accident attorneys are as qualified and skilled as others. Who you choose as your personal injury attorney can significantly affect your compensation and recovery.
For example, suppose you broke your neck in a rollover accident caused by a drunk driver. You have $100,000 in immediate medical bills, and ongoing medical needs will be $50,000 annually. An auto accident attorney who can accurately estimate your damages and future losses can fight for the most money from the insurance company.
The attorney needs court litigation skills to persuade a jury to award what you deserve. Some auto accident attorneys prefer to settle a case than go to trial, but you should retain a lawyer equally skilled in both.
The attorney also should have extensive financial resources so they can take the case as long as it takes for the optimal outcome.
What Is a Rollover Crash Worth?
Like any crash, the value of your rollover claim depends on the case details. There’s no point in discussing an average rollover crash settlement because it depends on the case particulars.
However, the following factors play a significant part in your accident settlement:
- Current and future medical bills: Your auto accident attorney will total your current medical bills, including ambulance transportation, ER, doctor, surgery, specialists, hospitalization, drugs, and rehabilitation. Then, they will work with your medical team to estimate your future medical needs. Those with severe injuries requiring more ongoing care will have a higher settlement than someone with a less serious injury.
- Lost earnings and earning potential: Rollover crash victims may receive compensation for current lost earnings. More serious accident victims may receive lost income in the future if they have a temporary or permanent disability from the crash. For example, a paralysis victim can receive lost future income for years, while someone with a leg fracture will receive less.
- Pain and suffering: Severe injuries, such as burns or paralysis, entail severe physical and mental pain and suffering that have a high potential value. Your attorney will demand more compensation if you have severe injuries and great mental and physical pain. Catastrophic injuries such as severe burns, head injuries, or paralysis will usually result in more pain and suffering compensation.
- Permanent disability: People with permanent disabilities, such as paralysis, will receive more in their settlement than those with injuries that heal after a few weeks or months.
One of your auto accident attorney’s skills is accurately tabulating the full extent of your damages today and in the future. Most non-attorneys lack the skills or resources to estimate their damages correctly. This can be a huge problem in a serious rollover injury case.
Imagine taking a rollover crash settlement for $25,000. Then, a month later, you discover you have nerve damage to your spine that affects your ability to walk.
Once you sign the settlement papers, the case is over. There’s nothing anyone can do to obtain more money for you. That’s why you should always speak to a car accident attorney after a rollover accident. They will ensure you get the full compensation you deserve.
Contact A Rollover Accident Attorney Today
A rollover accident is extremely dangerous and can cause devastating or even fatal injuries.
If someone’s negligence caused your rollover accident, speak to a rollover accident lawyer today. A personal injury attorney with experience in rollover accidents can investigate the crash, prove fault, and maximize your compensation in a claim or lawsuit.
Speak to a personal injury attorney today about your rollover accident for free. You don’t pay legal fees unless the attorney wins your case.