SUV Rollover Accidents and Injuries

More than 10,000 people are killed each year in rollover accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), SUV rollover crashes account for nearly 35 percent of all passenger vehicle fatalities as compared to a 15 percent rollover rate for passenger cars. During a rollover accident, a vehicle turns over on its side or roof.

How Rollovers Can Occur

Rollover accidents are directly related to a vehicle’s stability in turns. That stability is influenced by the relationship between the center of gravity and the track width (distance between the left and right wheels). A high center of gravity and narrow track can make a vehicle unstable in fast turns or sharp changes of direction, thereby increasing the odds that it will tip over once it begins to ski sideways. A rollover accident can occur when the vehicle is turning too sharply while moving too fast. Listed below are causes and risk factors for rollover accidents and fatalities:

• Type of Vehicle—Certain design elements can increase the risk of a rollover accident. Vehicles with a high center of gravity and narrow tire track are more likely to roll over, particularly at high speeds or on wet or icy roads.
  
• Road Conditions—Poorly maintained roads and highway can cause a rollover.
  
• Speed—Nearly 75 percent of fatal rollover crashed happen in a 55 MPH or higher zone, while 40 percent of all rollover deaths involve speeding.

• Driver Behavior—Most rollover accident happen in single vehicle event and during everyday or routine driving maneuvers, such as turning right or left or exiting a highway. Contributing factors may include:

1. Driver distraction, such as cell phone use or interacting with the other passengers in the vehicle
2. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a factor in nearly half of all fatal rollover accidents

• Location—Rural areas with speed limits of 55 MPH or higher account for more than 70 percent of fatal rollover accidents.

Liability of the Manufacturer

Many rollover accidents can be attributed to faulty vehicle parts that were placed in the car during production, maintenance, and even repairs. Defective tires are also a common factor in these accidents. Engineers and safety experts agree that the best way for manufacturers to make SUV’s more stable is to lower the center of gravity and widen the wheel track. However, such fundamental changes to an SUV’s design are costly and auto manufacturers have been slow in making effective design modifications.

Many SUV models come equipped with safety mechanisms designed to reduce injury and death during a rollover accident. Electronic stability control (ESC) uses automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to help the driver maintain control in situations where a vehicle without ESC would skid out of control and likely leave the road. A new federal rule will require ESC in all cars, SUV’s, pickups and minivans by the 2012 model year.

Liability of Vehicle At Fault

The NHTSA introduced a rollover rating system in 2001. Using a five-star system, the rollover ratings are based on an engineering analysis of each vehicle’s center of gravity and the width between the front tires. The results are compared with police accident reports for confirmation. In this rating system, five stars equals a rollover risk of less than 10 percent, while one star indicates a greater than 40 percent rollover risk. Most passenger cars and minivans hover around the four and five-star rollover resistance rating range, while most pickup trucks and SUV’s tend to have ratings ranging from three stars to one star.

Filing a Lawsuit and Recovering Damages

Depending upon the severity of the SUV rollover accident, you may require emergency medical treatment, surgery, medications, physical therapy and other expensive medical care. Any person who sustains injury in an SUV rollover accident can file a lawsuit against the manufacturer for a defective design as SUV’s are three times more likely to rollover than passenger cars.

How a Lawyer Can Help

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an SUV rollover accident, you may be eligible to seek relief for your damages. An experienced attorney can help you recover damages for medical expenses, loss of income, property damage, and pain and suffering.