There are many different types of auto accidents and collisions, such as rear-end accidents, side-swipes, broadside collisions, head-on collisions, and more. One type of accident that is widely considered to be the most dangerous is the rollover accident. A rollover refers to an accident that results in at least one vehicle rolling over onto its side, onto its roof, or even rolling multiple times. Rollover accidents are not only frightening for the motorists involved, but also have the potential to cause catastrophic injuries. Though all kinds of collisions have the potential to result in severe injuries, victims of rollover accidents are especially susceptible. According to a division of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rollover accidents cause more fatalities than any other type of accident.
Common Injuries in Rollover Accidents
When a vehicle is involved in a rollover accident, the car usually hits the road on the sides, roof, and other points of impact. For this reason, occupants of the vehicle can often have multiple points of impact on their bodies and suffer multiple injuries. Some of the most common injuries suffered in rollover accidents include the following:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI), leading to serious and potentially long-lasting cognitive, physical, and emotional difficulties
- Spinal cord injury (SCI), leading to loss of control, sensation, or complete paralysis below the point of the spinal damage
- Broken bones, which can often be compound breaks requiring surgery and extensive therapy or even completely crushed bones leading to amputation of a limb
- Burns from friction (such as road rash) or from fires that ignite due to the accident
- Deep contusions, lacerations, and other impact wounds, especially if the victim is ejected from the vehicle
- Internal bleeding and internal organ damage
- Other neck, back, and soft tissue injuries
Even if the victim of a rollover accident lives, they still may require extensive medical treatment including hospitalization, surgical procedures, rehabilitative or physical therapy, follow-up care, home health care, and more. Many victims are also left with permanent disabilities or disfigurements, some of which may prevent them from working or even living independently in the future.
Defective Design and Rollover Accidents
Motor vehicles that have a higher center of gravity have a greater chance of rolling over due to the slightest obstacle. Such obstacles can include having a tire blow out, taking a turn too fast, hitting a curb, getting run off the road, and more. Because vehicles like vans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and Jeeps have a greater chance of rolling over, the manufacturers should ensure the vehicles have the proper safety features to help prevent injuries in the event of a rollover.
Such safety features include roll bars, roll cages, a reinforced roof that will not crumple, side air bags, and more that protect motorists from impact points and from ejection. If an auto manufacturer fails to properly design a car to adequately protect motorists, the manufacturer should be held liable for selling a dangerous product and causing injury.
If you have been involved in a rollover accident or any other type of accident, you should not hesitate to contact the Boca Raton personal injury attorneys at Lavalle Brown & Ronan for a free consultation today.
