When you are in a vehicle rollover, you may have significant injuries. These accidents are generally more dangerous than most and involve a vehicle rolling onto its side or roof during the accident. In a simple rollover, the car makes a quarter-roll or half-roll, landing on its side or the roof. In more serious cases, it may roll over many times. These accidents often cause spinal cord, neck, head injuries, and other damage.
Dealing with traumatic injuries is complex and can be financially devastating, but you are not alone. When you are hurt, we are here for you. We take a hands-on approach to our cases, so you get personalized attention focused on helping you get the compensation you deserve. Talk to one of our hard-working car accident attorneys to learn more about rollover car accidents in Inverness.
Causes of Vehicle Rollovers
Well-designed vehicles should resist rollovers. When manufacturers identify a high risk of rollovers, they generally change the design, which typically reduces the risk of rollovers. Even with safety designs, vehicles with higher centers of gravity, like SUVs, trucks, and vans, are more likely to flip than cars. Manufacturers reinforce the roofs of vehicles to keep occupants safe in rollovers, but the accidents are still dangerous.
Tripping
When a car’s tire hits something that shifts weight to one side, it knocks the vehicle off balance. This is known as tripping. Tripping happens when someone runs over a curb, hits a ditch, or even hits a large pothole. Tripping can cause a vehicle to roll.
Bad Weather
Bad weather contributes to a number of rollovers. Anything that makes roads slippery can lead to skids. When someone skids off a road, it can lead to rollovers. Vehicles may roll down a slope or trip and roll in the roadway.
Crashes
Crashes contribute to rollovers as well. The more force involved in the accident, the greater the likelihood of a rollover. Size differences in vehicles can also increase the risk of a rollover because they will have different centers of gravity.
Speeding
While all of the above factors can lead to rollovers, speeding may be the most significant factor. When a vehicle loses traction, it can become unbalanced. Generally, gravity will work to pull down a car or truck before the imbalance can lead to a rollover. However, when someone is speeding, there is more force involved, and that force can overcome gravity to lead to a roll.
Determining the cause of a rollover is very fact-dependent. A lawyer can examine the circumstances and investigate which factors contributed to the Inverness rollover vehicle crash. Understanding those circumstances can help attorneys determine parties with potential liability.
Liability for Rollovers
A well-designed vehicle should not roll over under usual driving conditions. While no amount of engineering can remove the risk of rollover from high-speed wrecks in Inverness, a bad design can leave vehicles vulnerable. If poor design contributes to a rollover, a victim may have a lawsuit against the manufacturer. A lawyer should consider third-party liability, including liability from manufacturers for defective manufacturing or design flaws.
Other drivers may also be responsible for rollovers. If they collide with a vehicle at high speed, it dramatically increases the risk of a rollover. However, they can cause rollovers even without a collision. For example, a driver may swerve to avoid a dangerous driver, causing them to hit a curb, trip, and rollover.
The governmental entity responsible for maintaining roads may also be liable for a rollover. Potholes, missing guardrails, and other factors could increase the risk of a car rolling over in an accident in Inverness. Therefore, the victim could have a claim against the government if these factors were involved in the crash.
Connect With an Inverness Attorney About Rollover Car Crash Injuries
The aftermath of a rollover car accident can be traumatic, painful, and financially devastating. You may feel vulnerable and pressured to accept a settlement offer, but you do not have to navigate the process alone. We could help you recover the most money possible to compensate for your injuries after a rollover car accident in Inverness. Schedule a consultation to learn more.