Birmingham Rollover Accident Attorney
Rollover accidents don’t happen very often compared to other types of crashes, but when they do, they often end in catastrophic or fatal injury. In Alabama, 1,424 rollover accidents occurred in 2019, accounting for less than one percent of all crashes in the state that year. However, these same 1,424 accidents caused 954 injuries and 41 deaths, making up more than two percent of all car accident injuries and nearly 4.5% of all traffic fatalities. Victims of rollover accidents are far more likely to suffer serious injury or death than victims of any other auto accident, with the possible exception of head-on collisions.
Rollover car accident victims and their families often must deal with exorbitant medical bills at the same time as a drastic reduction or complete loss of income. Injuries are physically and emotionally painful, and they cause extensive disruption to the home and personal life of the victims and their loved ones. The Birmingham rollover accident attorneys at Goldasich, Vick & Fulk are here to help you through this time by fighting to make sure you get a significant amount of compensation to help you deal with the harm you have suffered.
Why Do Rollover Crashes Happen?
A car that is forcefully struck by another vehicle either on its side or head-on can roll over, especially if the vehicle that hits it was a heavier vehicle traveling at high speed. Aside from being struck by a negligent driver, there are a few other leading causes of rollover crashes, which often occur in single-vehicle accidents.
Defective design of vehicles or tires
Pickup trucks, SUVs and vans rollover at a higher rate than other vehicles due to their higher center of gravity. Vehicles that are designed and constructed with a high center of gravity on a narrow wheelbase are especially prone to rollover. If a particular vehicle model rolls over at an unreasonably high rate, accident victims might argue that the vehicle was defectively designed.
Automakers could prevent a large number of rollovers through safer design. Reinforcing car roofs so they don’t crush occupants in a rollover would also save lives, but car manufacturers often skip this step to keep their costs down and maximize their profits. Roof crushes are a common cause of death, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury in rollover accidents.
Tires can also instigate a rollover due to a defective design, or due to an automaker or tire shop installing the wrong tire for the vehicle. Tires that adhere to the road too strongly permit the buildup of lateral forces that aggressively pull the vehicle to one side, initiating a rollover. Tires are often marketed for their ability to grip the road, but too much grip can actually create the conditions for a deadly rollover.
As product liability attorneys, our firm has successfully recovered millions of dollars in defective products cases, including one $36,000,000 settlement and many others near or over a million dollars each. These cases are complex and time and labor-intensive, but our dedicated lawyers have put in the effort and achieved results for our clients time and again.
Trips in the road
A trip is a defect or object in the road that can cause a vehicle’s tires to pull sharply to one side, leading to a rollover. Trips include potholes, unpaved soft shoulders, guardrails and curbs. Hitting a trip at high speed is more likely to cause a rollover, depending on the vehicle. Government agencies can sometimes be held liable for rollover accidents that happen on roads that are defectively designed, poorly maintained or lack appropriate signage.
Overcorrection/Driver error
If a driver jerks the steering wheel too hard or takes a turn too sharply, the vehicle’s center of gravity can shift too far to one side of the vehicle, causing it to roll. Drivers make this error if they are driving too fast for the road conditions, or if they were driving distracted and suddenly jerk the wheel to avoid hitting another car or something in the road.
Our Birmingham Personal Injury Attorneys Help Accident Victims Who Have Suffered the Most Catastrophic Injuries
Rollover accidents are terrifying events with grave results for the accident victims and their families. Because the harm is so great and the costs are immense, insurance companies often put up a fight rather than pay out, laying some or all of the blame on the accident victim and otherwise taking advantage of the complex nature of rollover accidents. At Goldasich, Vick & Fulk, our focus is on helping accident victims who have suffered the most severe and catastrophic injuries and getting results that matter. We’ve done this for hundreds of clients in Birmingham and would like the opportunity to help you too.
If you or a family member has been hurt or worse in a Birmingham rollover accident, please call Goldasich, Vick & Fulk for a no-cost consultation to explore your options for obtaining the compensation you need to meet your expenses and move forward after such a terrible experience.
