All accidents are frightening, especially when they cause painful injuries, but few accidents are as traumatizing to survivors as a vehicle rollover accident. These accidents are less common than T-bone accidents, rear-end collisions, and other accidents, but they result in a disproportionate number of deaths. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirms that rollover accidents are more likely to end in fatalities than other types of car accidents. Just ask the car accident lawyers in Austin.
What Types of Vehicles Are Involved in Rollover Accidents?
A car or truck of any type can roll over in an accident involving powerful crash force or when hitting a bank, ditch, or obstacle; however, taller vehicles are far more likely to experience a rollover accident than lower ones. When a vehicle manufacturer produces a tall vehicle, they are not able to expand the wheelbase due to road lane size constrictions. Without a proportionally widened wheelbase, a vehicle becomes top-heavy with a high center of gravity, expanding its propensity to roll over during an accident. Vehicles more likely to roll in an accident include:
- Commercial trucks and delivery vans
- SUVs
- Pickup trucks
In Texas—a state with roads thronging with pickups and SUVs—rollover accidents are a significant problem. Fatal injuries in SUV rollovers have doubled since the 1990s.
How Do Texas Rollover Accidents Happen?
Most vehicle rollovers occur when drivers lose control of their vehicles. This may happen due to a sideswipe by another vehicle, encountering debris in the road, swerving sharply to avoid an animal, a tire blowout, or taking a curve too fast. Some roadway departure accidents end in a rollover when the vehicle’s tires hit an incline or ditch. Trucks carrying unbalanced loads have an increased risk of a rollover accident in Texas.
Rollover accidents happen more often on rural roads, often due to poor roadway conditions, debris or animals in the road, rough or non-level roadway shoulders, and slippery road conditions during inclement weather.
Injuries in Texas Vehicle Rollovers
Rollover accidents in Austin and elsewhere result in some of the most severe car accident injuries in Texas. As a car, truck, or SUV rolls over, even a securely seatbelted occupant experiences severe trauma as the roof and other vehicle structures collapse inward. The resulting damage may cause airbag and seatbelt failures. Injuries in vehicle rollover accidents may include:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Crush injuries
- Multiple fractures
- Internal organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Back injuries
- Whiplash and other neck injuries
- Injuries to the shoulder, clavicle, and ribs
- Pelvic and hip fractures
- Facial trauma
- Traumatic amputations
- Burns
- Soft tissue injuries, lacerations, and abrasions
- Wrongful death
If a vehicle rollover accident occurs due to a negligent driver’s actions, a poorly maintained road, or a defective tire, steering system, brake system, or other auto part, the at-fault party is liable for the victim’s damages. In some cases, lawsuits against vehicle manufacturers for defective vehicle design can recover compensation for rollover accident victims. Our injury lawyers in Austin are here for you no matter how severe the injuries you have suffered.
Compensation in Vehicle Rollover Accidents in Texas
A successful car accident claim results in compensation for common damages through a settlement or court award, typically coming from the at-fault party’s liability insurance. Compensation covers damages like medical expenses, past and future income loss, and pain and suffering. In some cases, other non-economic damages apply for catastrophic injuries causing scarring, disfigurement, disability, or emotional trauma. If a loved one suffered fatal injuries in a preventable rollover accident, an Austin wrongful death lawyer can recover additional compensation for family members.
Call an Austin Rollover Car Accident Attorney at Shaw Cowart LLP
Vehicle rollover accidents are traumatic and terrifying. It’s not necessary to pile on the distress by managing a complex compensation claim as well. Contact Shaw Cowart LLP today to speak to an experienced car accident lawyer about your options.