types of accidents


SUV Rollover Accidents

Over the past decade, many people bought “light trucks” -- a category that includes sport-utility vehicles, vans and pickup trucks -- as alternatives to station wagons or other “family cars.” Buyers often think the vehicles’ high carriage and large frame will keep occupants safer than a conventional passenger car would. Ironically, the facts show that those exact features -- their larger size and height -- actually make some of these light trucks more dangerous than the average private vehicle. Because the defective design of these vehicles shifts their weight higher and farther to the back, the vehicles’ centers of gravity are higher, making them easier to tip over even during normal driving conditions. This tendency to roll over exposes the occupants of the vehicle to an unreasonable risk of a deadly rollover accident, in which it literally flips over, exposing occupants to serious head, neck and spine injuries.

Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration consistently show that rollovers are one of the most dangerous types of accidents a motorist can be involved in. One study by the agency showed that only 2.6 percent of all passenger vehicle crashes in 2000 were rollover crashes, but 20 percent of fatal crashes that year were rollovers. Rollover victims accounted for a quarter of all highway deaths and half of all SUV deaths in 2001. And victims of a rollover are twice as likely to die or sustain serious injuries as victims of a planar (flat) crash, according to another NHTSA study of crashes between 1995 and 2001. The higher death and serious injury rate for rollovers can be partly explained by the mechanics of a rollover: Occupants are thrown sideways and upside down violently and quickly, raising their chances of hitting their heads and necks against hard objects. And if they’re fully ejected from the vehicle, which is more likely in a rollover, they’re three times more likely to be killed or seriously hurt.

The same studies show that light trucks are far more likely to kill an occupant when they roll over than a passenger car. The NHTSA study showed that only 15 percent of passenger cars involved in fatal crashes in 2000 rolled over, but 26 percent of light trucks in fatal crashes rolled over. Within the “light trucks” category, SUVs were the deadliest: 36 percent of SUVs involved in fatal crashes rolled over, compared with 24 percent of pickup trucks in fatal crashes and 19 percent of vans.

The high centers of gravity in light trucks aren’t the only thing that puts their occupants at a higher risk of death and grave injuries. A significant contributing factor is manufacturers’ unwillingness to install life-saving safety measures such as reinforced roofs and roll bars. When vehicles roll over, their weight and the force of the impact often crushes their roofs -- pushing them toward vulnerable occupants, who can sustain brain and spine injuries even if they’re in seatbelts. Manufacturers are required by law to ensure that smaller vehicles’ roofs be able to resist 1.5 times their weight, but there is no such requirement for larger passenger vehicles like light trucks. There’s also no requirement to install “roll bars” in the roofs of light trucks -- despite the increased risk of rolling over that those vehicles carry. The NHTSA in 2005 proposed to extend roof resistance standards to light trucks, but manufacturers are not currently required to install roof crush safety measures. This negligent unwillingness to put rollover safety measures in the vehicles that need them the most just exacerbates the high rate of rollover deaths and injuries.

The NHTSA has identified incorrect tire pressure -- both overinflation and underinflation -- as another significant risk factor for rollover accidents. When tires aren’t maintained properly or are defective, they can make the vehicle harder to handle, contributing to its tendency to roll over during evasive maneuvers. Unfortunately, some light truck manufacturers have actually recommended that owners underinflate their tires to give a smoother ride. It works -- but it also helps to tip over the vehicle during turns, increasing the chance of a rollover. If a tire is overinflated and then the vehicle is filled with heavy people and cargo, the stress may cause a tire blowout -- also increasing the chance that the vehicle will roll over.

Because sport-utility vehicles grew so much in popularity in the late 1990s, they have received much the of media attention given to rollover accidents. It’s justified: Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that SUVs are the only type of vehicle whose rollover accident fatalities outnumber fatalities from other accidents. SUVs roll over nearly three times as often as passenger sedans, the NHTSA says, and accounted for most of the fatal light truck rollovers in 2000, with 47 percent. Pickup trucks, which are designed with similar high centers of gravity, tire problems and weak roofs, had the next most with 24 percent.

Among vans, 15-passenger vans, once popular among school sports teams and church youth groups, have also been found to have an unacceptably and disproportionately high rate of rollover accidents. These vans are often used by organizations that need to transport small groups of people and their cargo over long distances, but don’t have the budget for a more expensive bus and trained driver. Unfortunately, the record shows that when the vans are used to transport large groups and luggage -- that is, for their intended purpose -- they’re inherently unsafe. When weight is added to the cargo area in the back of the van, or cargo is tied to the top, the center of gravity shifts back and upward, making the van harder to control. Driving the van safely after this shift is a special skill that must be learned -- and that many small organizations don’t have and weren’t told they’d need before buying the van. Without it, the driver runs the risk of “fishtailing” or rolling over under even normal driving conditions.

Rollover accidents’ impact on victims and their loved ones can be devastating. When loved ones die, they leave an emotional and financial hole in the lives of their survivors. When victims survive, it’s often with severe head, neck and spine injuries that significantly affect their ability to perform daily tasks and work for a living. Other common injuries from a rollover could include broken bones, amputation, burns and disfiguring scars.

The California law firm of Bisnar | Chase has pursued justice for rollover accident victims since 1978. Our firm has nearly 30 years of experience with auto accident cases and recovers millions each year for injured victims. If you or someone you care about faces the consequences of a rollover accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you have the right to hold that person responsible in a court of law. For a free, no-obligation consultation, call us today at 1-866-990-8787 or click here to fill out our convenient online case evaluation form.