Vehicle manufacturers are required by law to manufacture cars which are safe and can withstand any kind of reasonable impact to a certain degree while keeping their occupants safe.
SUVs, vans and pickup trucks are notorious for a phenomenon called “roof crush,” which refers to the roof of a car caving-in or collapsing during a rollover accident. This kind of design failure exposes occupants to an extreme risk of injury or death.
High Center of Gravity = Increased Rollover Risk
Rollover accidents are more-closely-associated with vehicles which have high centers of gravity (such as SUVs, pickups, and vans). This offsets the car’s balance, especially when taking a sharp turn at speed, or when involved in an accident.
Unethical Practices Put Lives in Danger
These vehicles are known to flip over more than others, sometimes resulting in a roof crush or cave-in. As such, manufacturers must take reasonable measures to reduce the likelihood of serious injury in such an accident. When they fail in this responsibility and someone is injured or killed as a result, they could be found liable for all or a portion of the related damages.
Some manufacturers may decide to cut corners during car roof design and construction. This allows them make more profit, but at the expense of consumer safety.
It’s estimated that over 10,000 people lose their lives every year due to rollover accidents, with thousands more getting injured and possibly disabled for life. The NHTSA has something called Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216, which is a benchmark it uses to judge how well a car’s roof holds up during a rollover. That being said, this standard is woefully inadequate given the rising numbers of these accidents over the years as well as it only applying to vehicles under 6,000 pounds.
Here are some of the most common injuries associated with roof collapses:
- Wrongful death
- Broken bones
- Internal organ damage
- Brain injuries
- Burns
- Cuts and lacerations
- Spinal cord damage
- Shock
- Paralysis
Rollovers, while only accounting for a small (single-digit) percentage of all accidents, are responsible for 33 percent of all road accident deaths.
If consumers do not hold these manufacturers responsible for their negligence, similar (preventable) injuries and deaths will continue to occur. By enlisting the services of a rollover car accident lawyer in your area, you may be able to file a claim to recover monetary compensation directly from the vehicle manufacturer.
Get Legal Help to Recover Maximum Compensation
By contacting a lawyer well versed in car roof crush accidents (as well as the related regulations), you’ll have the best chance at recovering compensation for things such as hospital bills, physical therapy, missed work, etc.
What’s more, your actions could have a positive effect for years to come by incentivizing the company in question to spend more time during the design and manufacturing phase to ensure high quality and safe roofs in their cars moving forward.
Would you like to discuss your options (for free) with an attorney? Call 1-877-659-2580 and we’ll evaluate your claim for no charge. If you decide to have us help you with your case, we’ll do so (again) at no cost to you. Our attorneys ONLY get paid if they win your case.
