Our Pearland car accident lawyers point out that there are basically two types of single vehicle rollovers: the first is an untripped rollover caused by trying to avoid a collision with an obstacle or other vehicle, usually at higher speeds. In that scenario, if you have a top-heavy or heavily loaded vehicle and you suddenly swerve to keep from crashing into something, then the high center of gravity and top-heaviness of your vehicle will bring you over into a roll. But U.S. NHTSA data indicates that only 5% of rollover accidents are untripped.
95% of single-vehicle rollovers are tripped rollovers. This happens when you strike or run up on an object like a curb, raised median, or guardrail. It can also happen when you’re on a steep slope, especially off road, or when your car or truck leaves the roadway and digs its tires into soft soil and starts to slide. The high tripping force on the tires can cause your vehicle to roll, especially if it has a high center of gravity and a relatively narrow wheelbase, like SUVs and pickup trucks.
As our Pearland car accident lawyers have mentioned before, vehicle occupants are more likely to die in rollover crashes than in other types of accidents. For instance, in 2010, NHTSA data shows that only 2.1% of passenger car, pickup truck, and passenger van wrecks involved a rollover, yet rollover crashes accounted for over one third (33%) of all passenger vehicle accident deaths, or 7,600 fatalities. Almost 70% of those killed in these accidents were not wearing their seatbelts.
That statistic alone shows how vital wearing a seatbelt is to protecting your life in the event of a crash. One of the particular dangers of a rollover is the risk of ejection from your vehicle. And around 75% of people who get ejected from a vehicle suffer fatal injuries. Of course, the risk of fatal vehicle ejection is much higher if you’re not restrained by your seatbelt as your car rolls.
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And don’t hesitate to contact the dedicated Pearland car accident lawyers at Denena Points, PC with questions about your own injury accident. We offer a free initial legal consultation to discuss the facts of your case and evaluate your potential for a full financial recovery from your injuries. Call us at 713-807-9550 or reach us anytime through our online contact form. Put our more than 12 years of experience making successful recoveries in complex personal injury and wrongful death cases to work for your family. Call today.