Rollover Car Accident Attorney

In a rollover accident, a vehicle tips or flips over one or more times to land on its side, roof, or tires. Rollover accidents are especially dangerous and deadly, accounting for a significant portion of fatal car crashes, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.

If you were injured in a rollover car accident in Houston or anywhere in the state of Texas, you may be entitled to compensation for the harm you suffered as a result.

The Houston personal injury lawyers at The Callahan Law Firm have over 25 years of experience representing car accident victims, including those who suffered debilitating injuries in automobile defective product cases such as rollover accidents. Our legal team understands the physical, mental, and emotional trauma that rollover accident victims experience. We can lessen your burden by being there for you during this difficult time, handling your legal claim against the at-fault parties and pursuing the compensation you deserve.

Contact The Callahan Law Firm today for a free consultation about your rollover car accident injuries.

How Do Cars Flip Over?

A car can overturn when some force causes the vehicle’s center of gravity to shift so significantly and abruptly that the tires lose contact with the ground. That force could be from one of the following:

• A collision with an object, such as another vehicle, guardrail, curb, or steep slope
• A sudden, sharp change in direction
• Wet or icy road surfaces

Some vehicle designs are more prone to rollovers. For example, pickups, vans, and SUVs typically have a higher center of gravity than sports cars and sedans, which makes them more likely to roll over in certain circumstances.

Common Causes of Rollover Car Accidents

Negligence is the cause of most rollover collisions, either on the part of the driver, another motorist, a vehicle manufacturer, or whoever designed and maintained the road where it happened.

Common causes of rollover crashes include the following:

• Speeding
• Distracted driving
• Drunk driving
• Erratic driving
• Fatigued driving
• Shifting cargo
• Vehicle malfunction
• Defective vehicle design
• Defective tires
• Road construction and design
• Inclement Weather

Rollover Accident Statistics in Houston, Texas

The following statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety make the deadliness of rollover accidents abundantly clear:

• In one recent year, 7,182 passenger vehicle occupants died in rollover crashes.
• Most rollovers (76 percent) involve a pre-rollover impact with an object, such as another vehicle, curb, tree, or guardrail.
• Rollover crash deaths accounted for 30 percent of all passenger vehicle crash fatalities but 50 percent of all single-vehicle crash fatalities.
• Rollover crash deaths accounted for 22 percent of car crash deaths, 41 percent of pickup crash deaths, and 40 percent of SUV crash deaths.

What Are the Odds of Surviving a Rollover Accident?

According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rollover crashes are far likelier to result in fatalities than non-rollover crashes. In one year of the study, only 3 percent of passenger vehicles involved in crashes experienced a rollover, but rollovers accounted for 20 percent of fatal passenger vehicle crashes. The numbers are even worse for light trucks, which include pickups, SUVs, and vans. While only 4 percent of light trucks involved in crashes rolled over, 26 percent of fatal light truck crashes involved a rollover.

Rollover accidents are particularly deadly when vehicle occupants are not wearing safety belts and get ejected from the vehicle. In the NHTSA report, 72 percent of individuals killed in rollover crashes were not wearing safety belts. Seat belts help prevent vehicle occupants from being ejected during a rollover crash, likely saving their lives. While only 4 percent of vehicle occupants wearing their seat belts were ejected, 53 percent who were not wearing seat belts were ejected. Of those killed in rollover crashes, 62 percent were ejected. Only 23 percent of occupants survived ejection.

Why Are Rollover Accidents So Dangerous?

As the statistics demonstrate, rollover accidents are far more dangerous than other types of traffic crashes. But why? There are several reasons for this increased danger, including the following:

• Ejection – The risk of getting ejected from the vehicle is much higher in rollover accidents when compared with other accidents, such as rear-end collisions. Ejection dramatically increases the risk of severe injuries and even death.
• Projectiles – Flipping cars produce many projectiles, such as shattered glass, dislodged car parts, and jostled personal belongings. These projectiles can hit vehicle occupants, causing lacerations, bruises, and puncture wounds.
• Crushed vehicles– Rollover crashes often result in some portion of the vehicle getting crushed, whether that’s the side or top of the car. Whatever is underneath that section of the vehicle can also get crushed, including the occupants. Therefore, rollover accident victims can suffer spinal cord injuries resulting in quadriplegia or paraplegia, crushed or amputated limbs, traumatic brain injuries, and death.

Typical Injuries from Rollover Car Accidents

Rollover accidents can inflict severe and debilitating injuries, including the following:

Potential Compensation for Victims of Rollover Crashes in Houston

With the assistance of an experienced Houston rollover accident attorney, you may be able to recover compensation for the following accident-related losses:

• Medical costs, including hospital bills, physical therapy, surgery costs, medication, medical equipment, and assisted home healthcare
• Lost wages and benefits if your injuries cause you to miss work
• Loss of future earning capacity if your injuries result in permanent disability
• Pain and suffering
• Physical impairment
• Disfigurement
• Mental anguish
• Emotional distress
• Loss of quality of life
• Loss of consortium, or the enjoyment of familial bonds

Get Help from Our Houston Rollover Accident Attorneys

If you suffered an injury in a rollover accident, The Callahan Law Firm wants to help you. We are dedicated to providing legal representation and securing compensation for people in positions like yours. Even if you’re unsure how or why the rollover accident happened, our experienced legal team can investigate the incident and determine who might be liable for your injuries and accident-related losses. We can then fight for the money you need for your medical bills, lost income, pain, suffering, and more.

Contact The Callahan Law Firm right now to speak with one of our Houston rollover accident lawyers in a free consultation.