rollover accident

A rollover accident is rare but often causes serious, sometimes fatal, injuries. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, vehicles roll over in only 1 percent of all crashes, but they account for about a third of passenger vehicle occupant deaths.

Although people often assume a rollover accident to be the fault of the person driving the car that flipped, that’s not always the case. There are several factors that may cause a vehicle to become unstable and roll over.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Gautreaux Law Firm today for a free personal injury consultation. We charge no fees until we recover money for you.

Causes of Rollover Accidents

  • Hitting another object, such as a curb, guardrail, tree, or another vehicle
  • Sliding off the road onto soft soil or a steep slope then quickly overcorrecting to get back into your lane of travel
  • Swerving to avoid something in the road such as an animal or another vehicle
  • Loads shifting in the back of a light truck or SUV
  • Tire or brake failure
  • Vehicle or manufacturer defects
  • Poorly designed roads or road defects, such as uneven pavement
  • Poorly marked construction areas

Safety Features to Help Avoid a Rollover Accident and Injury

  • Wear a seat belt – it prevents you from being ejected out of the vehicle
  • Electronic stability control systems – it applies the brakes on one or more wheels in order to avoid loss of vehicle control – The NHTSA estimates that stability control systems will prevent 9,600 deaths and 238,000 injuries annually
  • Anti-lock braking system – it helps prevent uncontrolled skidding, which can result in a vehicle rolling over

The vehicles most likely to rollover are SUVs and light trucks. They have a high center of gravity, which makes them more susceptible to rollover crashes. Together, they made up 74% of the single vehicle rollover fatalities in 2013. Even with this knowledge, very few pickup trucks offer stability control systems on their vehicles.

If you were injured as a passenger in a rollover accident, then you deserve to be compensated for your injuries. If you or a loved one were injured or killed in a rollover crash due to another driver’s negligence or because of a manufacturer or road defect, then you should not have to bear the burden of your injuries. Contact the experienced legal team at Gautreaux Law today to begin your road to recovery. We will schedule a free, one-on-one strategy session to evaluate your claim and see what your case is worth. As always, you pay nothing unless we win. Call us today at 478-238-9758