EspañolRollover crashes, which can happen with or without a collision between two vehicles, can be extremely dangerous. If you or a loved one received an injury in a rollover, the Houston rollover accident attorneys at Gomel & Associates can help.
Rollover accidents can easily cause life-altering injuries. Your medical treatment could be extremely expensive, stretch out over months, and deprive you of the ability to work and live as you did before the accident. If your injuries are the result of others’ negligence, then a car accident lawyer near Houston could help you get compensation to help with the burdens imposed by the rollover.
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What Are Common Forms Of Rollover Accidents?
Many different situations can lead to a rollover accident, but certain scenarios are more commonly associated with rollovers. Examples include:
- Sharp turns made at high speed
- Head-on or perpendicular collisions between two cars
- Over-correction following a loss of driving control (e.g. leaving the roadway and attempting to return)
- Defects in the design or construction of a vehicle making it excessively prone to rollovers
A rollover accident can develop from any of these circumstances, and the injuries it causes may be severe. If the accident was caused by someone’s negligence, it may be possible to hold them liable in a civil suit. If you want to explore your options for seeking compensation, get in touch with a rollover accident attorney today.
What Causes Rollover Crashes In Houston?
If you’ve been injured in a rollover crash, you need to understand that determining whether or not you have a viable claim depends on the specifics of your accident. Your right to seek compensation depends on whether or not responsible for the accident can be tied to the negligence of an individual or organization. To determine whether or not you have a valid injury claim after your accident, talk to an experienced Houston rollover car accident lawyer.
The three main causes of rollovers are:
Tripping
When a rollover is initiated by a collision between a vehicle’s tire and an object, this is known as tripping. Tripping rollovers are common all around Houston. Tripping is more likely the faster the vehicle is moving. A rollover accident caused by tripping may involve negligence on the part of state or local governments; poor design or maintenance of the roadway may be at fault for the accident.
Negligent Driving
The active negligence of drivers also produces a significant number of Houston rollover accidents. Rollovers can be caused by the collision of two cars, and in these circumstances, the fault often lies with the striking driver. Rollovers become more common when one vehicle strikes another at or close to a 90-degree angle. These kinds of rollover collisions often happen in intersections, and they become more likely if the negligent driver is traveling at high speed.
Vehicular Defects
Mechanical or design defects can increase the risk of a rollover. The foremost example of this is a worn or defective tire blowing out. A high-speed blowout will often produce a rollover. When a defect of this sort is the primary factor responsible for a rollover accident, an injured plaintiff may have a valid claim against the manufacturers of the automobile or the relevant parts (e.g. tires).
Classifying Rollover Accidents
Based on data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a leading cause of vehicle rollover is the loss of driver control. Rollovers can cause injuries in a variety of ways; the NHTSA identifies these causes as critical to rollover injuries:
- Driving under the influence
- Reckless driving
- Speeding
- Failure to obey traffic signals
- Failure to yield
- Failure to use safety restraints properly
The NHTSA’s data makes it clear that rollovers are not evenly distributed across all genders and age groups of drivers. Younger drivers are more likely to suffer rollover accidents due to their lesser amounts of experience with keeping a vehicle under control.
Upfront Fees
All rollover accidents can be divided into two categories:
- Tripped Rollovers: When the accident is caused by a collision — with another vehicle, a fixed object, or a loose object in the road — the rollover is considered “tripped.”
- Untripped Rollovers: When the accident involves a single vehicle and a loss of driver control, the rollover is considered “untripped.” Untripped rollovers become more likely in poor weather conditions.
The design and loading of a vehicle alter its susceptibility to rolling over. Vehicles that are top-heavy roll more easily. In a two-vehicle collision, rolling is most likely when one vehicle strikes the other from the side. Rolling is still possible in rear-end and head-on collisions, but less likely.
What Damages Are Covered In Rollover Claims?
When a rollover car accident is caused by someone else’s negligence, people that sustained an injury in the accident may be able to claim damages. Damages suitable for compensation include medical and rehabilitation expenses and loss of current and future income if the injured party is temporarily or permanently unable to work.
Additional expenses that may be covered as damages include modifications to a victim’s home and/or vehicle to accommodate impairments caused by the accident. Part-time or full-time assistance with healthcare and personal tasks may be compensable.
Personal injury claims can also seek compensation for the less-quantifiable effects of a rollover accident, including pain, suffering, and emotional trauma.
What Injuries Are Commonly Caused By Rollover Accidents?
The injuries that can be inflicted in a rollover accident may be severe and require costly long-term medical care. Rollover accidents can cause fatalities, particularly to drivers and passengers in the rolling vehicle who are not wearing seatbelts.
Common injuries in rollover accidents include:
- Broken bones
- Cuts and lacerations
- Spinal cord and back injuries
- Disfiguring injuries to the face
- Head trauma
- Traumatic brain injury
- Skull and jaw fractures
- Paralysis
- Death
As noted above, top-heavy vehicles are more likely to roll than those with a lower center of gravity. In many vehicles that are designed to be top-heavy, a roll bar is added to prevent the vehicle from collapsing if it rolls onto its roof. These bars are not universal, though, and a top-heavy vehicle (e.g. an SUV) that rolls without one may cause particularly severe injuries.
Get Help From Gomel & Associate’s Houston Rollover Accident Attorneys
The Gomel & Associates team has multiple personal injury attorneys with extensive rollover experience. Our team is especially familiar with the range of different cameras covering Houston roads and highways; we always strive to obtain footage of our clients’ accident to help establish the cause of the rollover. We have successfully recovered useful footage not only from traffic cameras but also from commercial security cameras that happen to be recording near the scene of the accident.
If it is practical, the aftermath of a rollover accident should be thoroughly documented with photos. When victims are unable to take photos due to their injuries, witnesses can be asked to photograph the scene.
When our rollover accident legal team goes to work, we leave no stone unturned. We seek testimony from every relevant witness, and we also consult with vehicle accident experts (often law enforcement officers) to better understand the specifics of the accident.
Get in touch with us now; the sooner we start building your case, the more persuasive it will be. Initial case evaluations are always free and come with no obligation.
