SUV Rollover Accidents
There is a strong possibility that every person reading this will be involved in some kind of car accident in his or her lifetime. With millions of miles of roadway in this nation and hundreds of millions of cars and trucks traveling those roads each day, it isn’t surprising that we often see the result of so-called fender-benders here and there every day. In fact, the number of car accidents annually is somewhere around six million. Some car accidents cause more than just minor damage; and some can be so severe that they result in death or serious bodily injury. Many car crashes are the result of one driver’s negligence, carelessness or reckless behavior behind the wheel.
One of the first things one should do if involved in a car accident is to seek medical attention for his or her injuries as quickly as possible. A close second should be contacting a skilled Maryland personal injury lawyer. This is especially true if you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a motor vehicle collision. By bringing an experienced auto accident attorney to assist on your auto injury case, the process of preserving all of the necessary evidence can begin in order to help you prove your case should it go to trial.
The local police will typically issue a police report when a person requires transportation from the accident scene to a medical facility by way of an ambulance, or if one of the involved vehicles needs to be towed from the accident scene. As Maryland auto and trucking accident lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, will contact the police to obtain any accident report, which should provide a summary of the way the accident occurred and identify the parties and witnesses. It is also important that you gather your own information at the accident scene. If you can, you should take pictures. By law, you are required to exchange contact information with the driver of the other vehicle, which can be another valuable piece of information.
Car accidents usually happen because one driver was at fault. The theory of fault is usually negligence, meaning that the driver who caused the crash failed to act reasonably in the operation of his or her vehicle. The law specifies that all drivers operate their vehicles in the way that a reasonably prudent person would drive. A driver cannot drive in such a way as to needlessly endanger other motorists or pedestrians.
Among other things, drivers must drive at a safe speed and be aware of vehicle and pedestrian traffic around their car or truck at all times. Excessive speed, failing to signal a change of lane or a turn, failing to yield the right of way, running of a stop sign, or any other traffic infraction can represent negligent operation of a motor vehicle. Of course, in showing negligence the burden of proof is on the plaintiff, also known as the individual who brings the lawsuit against the alleged negligent party.
Accidents involving sport utility vehicles (SUVs) can be very deadly, so proving negligence is extremely important when pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. Because many SUVs are so large and seemingly solid, drivers who operate these types of passenger vehicles may feel somewhat invincible. Although these vehicles are touted as capable both on and off the road, the fact that they ride higher than the typical passenger car can make them much less stable than a typical sedan or economy car.
The injury lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen are well aware that many of the tens of thousands of SUV-related accidents that occur every year across the U.S. involve a rollover-type event. For many sport utility vehicle owners who expect to be protected if they are involved in a traffic accident, the extreme physical injuries resulting from an SUV rollover, especially on one of Maryland’s interstates or beltways, can be an awfully shocking wake-up call.
It’s a fact that rollover wrecks involving SUVs are far more dangerous than the average passenger car accident. Depending on the circumstances, the resulting injuries can often entail serious brain injury or spinal cord damage injury; both of which can be life-threatening injuries. More than one person who has been critically injured in a Maryland sport utility vehicle rollover crash has eventually died from his or her injuries. In such instances, the family of the victim may consider contacting a qualified auto accident attorney with the intent of filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
It’s a sad fact that the false sense of security that SUVs promote can make drivers take chances or make assumptions about their vehicle’s performance capabilities that that they otherwise might not in a smaller and supposedly less safe passenger vehicle. As experienced personal injury lawyers, the legal staff at Lebowitz & Mzhen have the skills to assist victims of SUV rollover wrecks recover medical costs and other injury-related expenses. We know that more people are seriously injured or killed in these types of crashes than in those involving side-impact and rear-end collisions combined.
One cause of injury in a rollover accident can be the complete or partial collapse of the SUV’s roof during the violent rolling action, which can last for more than several revolutions. Because SUVs have a higher center of gravity than other passenger cars, these vehicle are more prone to rolling when performing an emergency maneuver or during bad weather, yet few if any SUVs offer rollover bars to prevent the vehicle’s roof from collapsing in on the occupants.
Back in 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put in place new safety standards for SUVs that increased the minimum roof strength requirement. Even so, the new regulations are still much too low to prevent collapse of an SUV’s roof in all accident situations, which means that so-called “roof crush” still occurs with great frequency. It is this crushing down of the vehicle’s roof that greatly increases the chances for serious injury or death for vehicle occupants.
As skilled trial lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen is prepared to fight for the rights of victims and their families following a bad SUV rollover accident. These events usually involve just the SUV itself and no other vehicle, and can be caused by one of the vehicle’s tires hitting a soft curb or loosely packed shoulder, which may cause the vehicle to latterly flip on its side. Icy road conditions, potholes or ditches can also be a factor in one of these deadly wrecks.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a rollover crash or other car, truck or motorcycle collisions, we highly recommend contacting a qualified personal injury attorney experienced in handling traffic accidents. The professional trial lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen have years of experience in automobile and commercial trucking injury accidents, and we are happy to speak with you regarding your case. Please call us to schedule a free, no obligation consultation at (800) 654-1949. You may also email either Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen to set up an appointment.