Rollover accidents occur when a vehicle flips over onto its side or top. These accidents are extremely serious, accounting for almost a third of all fatalities on U.S. roadways, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Rollover crashes can happen as a result of negligent drivers, but defective vehicles can also play a role in these types of incidents.
When you or someone you love is hurt or killed in a rollover crash, Dulin McQuinn Young is here to help. Give us a call at (303) 246-1111 or read on to learn more about how rollover accidents happen, what the consequences are, and what to do if you need to file a car accident injury claim.
How Do Rollover Accidents Happen?
Rollover accidents occur when something — like the force or impact of a collision — shifts the weight of a vehicle to one side, causing it to roll over before the car can regain its balance. Common causes of rollover crashes include:
- Speeding when a car goes too fast and loses its grip on the road
- Collisions when the force from another vehicle is strong enough to tip the car
- Tripping, which occurs when a car goes over a curb or ditch and its weight shifts suddenly and abruptly
- Inclement weather if the vehicle skids off the road and rolls
SUVs, trucks, and vans have a higher center of gravity and are more likely to tip. In some cases, the vehicle design is defective resulting in the vehicle being more likely to turn over on its side or top when a collision occurs.
Injuries From Rollover Accidents
Injuries are much more likely to occur when a vehicle flips in a collision. Some common injuries resulting from rollover accidents include:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord damage
- Broken bones
- Nerve damage
- Lacerations
In some cases, rollover crashes can also have fatal results. Surviving loved ones of individuals who pass away in a rollover accident can pursue a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for losses.
Who is Responsible for a Rollover Accident?
Determining responsibility for rollover accidents is important because victims may have expensive medical bills, significant pain and suffering, a substantial loss of earning potential, and other long-term consequences as a result of these serious accidents. Those who caused them harm should be held accountable for covering these losses.
In many cases, victims can make a claim to recover damages from a negligent driver who was responsible for causing an accident. In the case of a rollover accident, the manufacturer of the vehicle could also be held responsible if a defect in the vehicle played a role in the rollover.
Section 13-21-401 of Colorado’s Product Liability laws specifies that a manufacturer who can be held liable for a product defect includes any person or entity who “designs, assembles, fabricates, produces, constructs, or otherwise prepares a product or a component part of a product.”
Companies can be held strictly liable if a product causes harm when used as intended, or you can make a claim based on negligence, breach of warranty, or failure to warn.
If you have been in a rollover accident, Dulin McQuinn Young will help you to determine if you can hold a manufacturer, another driver, or both liable for your losses, so give us a call at (303) 246-1111 to find out how we can help you.