Rollover accidents are frightening. When a car flips onto its side or hood, it can feel like you are inside a clothes dryer. These are no ordinary accidents. In addition to suffering terrible injuries, victims will need to piece together what caused their vehicle to roll. At Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C., we have handled all types of car accident cases, and we can help injured victims with their rollover case. Call us today to speak with a Des Moines car accident lawyer in a free consultation. From our offices in Waterloo and Iowa City, we can travel to meet you at a convenient location, where circumstances warrant. And we’re always by your side, 24/7.
How Rollovers Happen
A car should have all four wheels on the ground, and flipping over is highly unusual. Typically, a rollover is caused by a sudden and dramatic shift in the weight of the vehicle. There are some common triggers:
- The car trips on something. For example, the car might trip on gravel, which suddenly shifts the weight, especially if the car is going at a high speed, or the vehicle might trip on lumber or other construction debris in the road. Cars can also trip on potholes.
- The car rides up an incline. For example, the right-hand side could ride up on the sidewalk, which unbalances the vehicle.
- The car turns fast going uphill or downhill. It is easy for a vehicle to tip over in these situations because the center of gravity has shifted so quickly.
- Collisions. Getting struck by another vehicle can obviously cause a dramatic weight shift, leading to a rollover. T-bone accidents are a leading cause of rollover accidents.
Typically, jerking the wheel isn’t enough to cause most new vehicles to roll over. They have safety features that should keep the vehicle standing upright. However, rollovers are certainly more likely in high-speed roads.
Are SUVs More Prone to Rollovers?
They used to be. Because these are high profile vehicles, they are inherently unstable. However, since around 2000, manufacturers have added safety features, such as Electronic Stability Control, which help SUVs avoid flipping onto their sides. Today, SUVs are no more likely to roll over than other vehicles. At the same time, no vehicle is immune to rollovers because technology can offer only so much protection.
Preventing Rollovers
Here’s the best ways to avoid a rollover:
1. Follow the speed limit, especially when weather is inclement.
2. Do not drive while distracted. Put cell phones away so you can focus on the road in front of you.
3. Avoid drinking and driving. Even one beer can lead to a loss of control.
4. Ensure tires are properly inflated so they can grip the road effectively, and always check tread to ensure a tire isn’t bald.
5. Remain vigilant about surroundings so you can avoid an accident, where possible.
6. Buy a newer vehicle. Car manufacturers are improving safety every year, and new vehicles are less prone to flipping.
Further, motorists can minimize the damage of a rollover by ensuring they are wearing a seatbelt and that children are in an appropriate child or booster seat.
Bodily Injuries
These are dramatic accidents which can lead to horrifying injuries, especially for someone who wasn’t wearing their seatbelt. Some of the worst injuries include:
- Whiplash—a painful neck injury caused by sudden jerking of the head.
- Fractures—especially in the face, arms, and hands.
- Shoulder injuries, including shoulder dislocation.
- Facial injuries—abrasions, orbital injuries, eye damage, and more.
- Concussions and traumatic brain injuries.
- Back injuries—back sprain, herniated disc, spinal stenosis, and other back injuries.
If an occupant was not belted in, then they could easily land on their neck and fracture it, or they might be ejected from the vehicle. Airbags are not highly effective at preventing ejection, unless there are bags on the side of the vehicle.
Rollovers also lead to a high number of deaths. In fact, the number of deaths is higher than what you would expect given the number of rollover accidents. In 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that rollovers were only 3% of all road accidents but represented 20% of all fatalities. That means rollovers are about 7 times more fatal than you would expect.
Winning a Settlement for a Rollover Accident
Our firm can help anyone hurt in a rollover accident or someone who lost a loved one in one of these accidents.
When it comes to receiving financial compensation, you will need to prove fault. If another driver struck you, then you can seek to hold them accountable for damage to your vehicle as well as your bodily injuries. The same is true if a spouse or child died in a rollover. You can bring a wrongful death claim against a motorist for striking your loved one.
Call our office today to discuss what evidence is helpful in these cases. Our firm excels at investigations and can reconstruct the accident. Some rollover victims aren’t sure why their vehicle flipped or who is responsible. In other cases, you might have taken defensive action to avoid a person driving straight at you in the wrong lane. Pulling your vehicle to the side, you end up going off the road and flipping when your wheels spin in gravel.
We can find evidence to identify the driver responsible for the crash. The more time we get to perform an investigation, the better the chances we can negotiate a successful settlement.
Speak with a Des Moines Car Accident Attorney in a Free Consultation
A rollover accident can end up costing accident victims $100,000 or more when we add in the cost of medical care and car repairs. You should not have to pay anything when someone else is solely to blame for a serious accident and injuries.
Call Ball, Kirk & Holm P.C. today to speak with a lawyer at our firm about your rollover and why we are the right firm for your case. We offer free consultations to those who contact us.