SUV Rollovers Despite the fact that many drivers feel themselves to be safer while driving a sport utility vehicle than in other cars, the reality may considerably different. For instance, according to PBS in the 10 years that Ford SUV’s were equipped with Firestone tires as the standard from the factory there were over 300 rollover accidents. More than 12, 000 people died in rollover accidents involving SUV’s that were not caused by failure on the part of tires. Statistics show that the death rate in accidents involving SUV rollovers is about twice the rate of deaths in accidents involving the other types of vehicles.
SUV rollovers became a public issue in 1980 with the airing of a 60 Minutes report on CBS. The report was about the Jeep model, which many of the early SUV’s were patterned. The vehicle was demonstrated to be very susceptible to rollover on “J” turns, as well as in moves that were designed to quickly evade some object that suddenly appears in the path of the vehicle. A “J” turn involves a sweeping right turn followed by a straight away.
In 2002 there were 10,666 people killed in rollover crashes. That figure represented an increase of 5% over the year before. It also represents 61% of all persons killed in sport utility vehicle crashes as compared to 22% of passenger car fatalities that came from rollover crashes.
Government Regulations on SUV’s
In 1986 there was an effort by law makers to have the basic design of sport utility vehicles, to help lessen the danger of rollover. An engineer at the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration was assigned to study the matter and make recommendations. The paper on her analysis indicated that there was a “pronounced and consistent pattern” of a dangerous relationship between the height and width of sport utility vehicles and their likelihood to roll over. Recommendations called for there to be regulations on the vehicles. Despite the report, the NHTSA declined to make any demand on the industry. The basic design of SUV’s continued unchanged.
Until the year 2000 the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration only figured mathematical calculations to determine the safety of sport you to sport utility vehicles. But in the year 2000 Congress demanded regulators to develop track tests to determine safety, because of nearly 300 rollover deaths in Ford's alone. By 2004 the agency had developed a new test for rating the likelihood of SUV rollovers. The tests included in fishhook maneuver which is a series of abrupt turns at varying speeds and imitate what happens when drivers drift off the road or overcompensate when driving in real life. In the new tests, the SUVs were required to you complete as many as 10 fishhook maneuvers at speeds between 35 and 50 mph. During the tests the SUVs are rigged with equipment that will not allow an actual rollover. When a vehicle tips up on two wheels the test is halted.
Design Defects
There are several possibilities of design defect that can contribute to the death or disabling injury in cases of SUV rollover, other than the aforementioned high center of gravity or the possible defects in tires. Perhaps the strength of the roof of the vehicle is insufficient to keep from crumpling in a rollover accident, allowing the occupants to be crushed. There is also the possibility that the vehicle is not equipped with laminated safety type glass in the windows. Such glass can help in keeping a driver or passenger from being ejected from the SUV in an accident involving a rollover.
If the seat belts are not designed to retract and automatically tighten, thus more effectively restraining the passenger during a rollover incident, the person may be thrown from the vehicle and sustain more serious injury or loss of life. Or if door latches are not sufficient to remain closed in a rollover accident, once again the design of the vehicle puts the passenger in grave danger for debilitating injuries or death. When any or all of the factors are added to the fact that the driver of a sport utility vehicle may be prone to use too much force, thus over steering because of the high center of gravity and the instability of handling, you have a great threat of SUV rollover.
Maintaining the Evidence
Not every accident involving a sport utility vehicle, even when there is a rollover, ends in serious personal injury or loss of life. In those cases a lawyer may not be needed, but when there is such tragic loss, preserving the evidence may be critical. The results of a serious accident can cause those involved to be distracted by the need to focus on living with or overcoming the injury or the loss of a loved one. All too frequently while the grieving or rehabilitation is taking place the evidence may be lost, crushed or otherwise destroyed. The vehicle itself, along with evidence of faulty seat belts or tires means that the possibility of assigning liability is difficult if not impossible. Some judges will not allow proceedings to even take place if evidence has been destroyed. But even it the suit is allowed, the odds of successfully receiving deserved awards are greatly diminished.
That makes it imperative that the victim or a representative make contact with legal counsel as quickly as possible. The attorney will make every effort to make sure the evidence is in place and maintained viable until the case can be brought to trial. Something as simple as a phone call made in a timely fashion may make all the difference in the world for the victim’s future.
Scene of the Rollover
If maintaining physical evidence requires expeditious action on the part of the victim, then the recording the of the details of the scene of an SUV rollover accident demands even more quick steps. There are a number of factors in the need to act as immediately as possible. The police will be anxious to get traffic flowing normally as soon as they can get the job done. Tow truck operators are often anxiously waiting to move the vehicle. Weather may be a factor in destroying the scene; rain might wash away tracks, debris or blood stains.
Such factors mean that someone representing the party that was injured should record the scene as soon after the accident as possible. Pictures of skid and yaw marks or the gouge marks made by tire rims or other parts of the vehicle may be invaluable when the decision is made to seek compensation from those responsible for the accident. Any other measurements, as well as statements by those who witnessed the rollover are more accurate when taken as close to the time of the accident as possible.
Considerations in selecting an SUV rollover attorney
There are many personal injury lawyers. Almost all personal injury lawyers will provide potential clients with a review of the merits of your case at no charge and with no commitment required. That is to the benefit of both the potential client and the attorney.
There are several questions to have answered when you are selecting the right personal injury lawyer to help you with an SUV rollover case. First you will want a Board Certified attorney, and one who is a nationally recognized rollover lawyer. Victims of a rollover accident probably do not want an attorney who is pursuing his first case against an SUV maker. Instead, he would want to secure the services of an attorney that has a track record with hundreds of successful judgments against manufacturers and settlements outside court.
One would not only want a law firm that has won cases, but also has a positive reputation for hard work and skill with powers of persuasion. The firm should have attorneys and support staff that works well together to come up with the best possible opportunity to win the case for the victim or victims. Having tools that are state of the art, and the latest technologies available also make the firm more desirable as your representatives. It is important that the attorneys and staff at the firm instill confidence in the client. The victim should be confident that law firm is concerned for his or her welfare, and not just about collecting a substantial fee out of the case.
Ford Rollover Problems
For really opened the door to the modern SUV market in 1991. Since then the increase in sales of SUVs has been dramatic. In the year 2000 Ford began to market a new small sport-utility vehicle that was designed in partnership with Mazda. It had a unibody construction that was more like a car than a truck-based frame. The new smaller Fords were designed to appeal to younger buyers. It was marketed to those who want to have fun with sporty agile and affordable transportation for active lifestyles. The design of this lightweight vehicle with a short wheelbase may be appealing to younger drivers, but they are not ready often to deal with the problems of the design. Their lack of us experience leaves them more susceptible to the dangers of rollover. The design also permits the roast to be crushed easily and for the passengers to be harmed or killed even if they are properly seated and belted.
The most highly publicized and widely recognized problem with SUVs and rollovers pertains to Ford and Firestone tires. The tires were not designed for the durability that was necessary for SUV use. One of the big parts of the problem was that the tread separated from the tires. If the tread separation was on a rear tire and the vehicle was going at high speed, the vehicle was very likely to crash and rollover.
General Motors Rollover Problems
General Motors has been making sport-utility vehicles for a long time. Factors that can cause rollovers in these vehicles included tire failures, tire designed effects, as well as for stability design of the vehicle itself. That may include poor design of the suspension system as well as inadequate brakes. Other factors that may play into the danger for injury or loss of life included weak roof supports the crusher collapse easily, weak seatbacks that fail, the lack of head rest your head restraint devices and poor functioning or fitting seat belts. There may also be dangers from doors that open to easily during the crashes.
During the rollover and one of these vehicles, the front row header and the sad roof rails collapse on the occupants. The result is possible that fractures that can render the driver or the passengers as paraplegic or brain-damaged or killed.
The more recent than smaller sized SUVs produced by General Motors compete with Ford for those drivers who are young or young at heart. But the results have been much the same for them regarding rollover crashes. Their light weight and short wheelbase also gives them a high propensity for rollover, resulting in serious injury or death.
Why an attorney is essential for a rollover case
Beside the need for vehicle preservation and a professional inspection of the site of the accident as soon as possible, having ink and experienced accident investigator take accurate statements of all witnesses is desirable. A good rollover attorney will also have an accident reconstruction engineer determined how the accident occurred.
It is also important to have biomedical and violent mechanical experts to determine what part the accident and the design of the vehicle played in injuries or death of the plaintiffs. Interviews with the medical professionals the injured parties are imperative. When catastrophic injuries are present, such as paraplegia or serious head injuries, having a life care plan consultant available is important to the evaluation of the cost of medical care for the plaintiff for the rest of his life. Keep all these things in mind when you're considering which attorney you want to represent you in your rollover case.
