SUV Rollovers

Rollovers of SUVs and other similar vehicles kill over 10,000 people and injure another 27,000 yearly.

Rollovers and Loss of Control
Rollovers occur in sports utility vehicles when a driver attempts to avoid an emergency with a quick steering movement or when a tire fails. All vehicles should stay on their wheels in a reasonable response to an emergency. Law firms are actively investigating cases of this nature on a national basis, especially those accidents that have resulted in catastrophic injury or fatalities.

In common emergency maneuvers, many SUVs and large passenger vans - because of their high center of gravity - will show a tendency to "trip" over a front wheel, or the rear wheels will actually break loose partially or entirely, causing the vehicle to go into "over steer." In either case, the result is often a total loss of control and a rollover.

Tire Failure
In some cases, the loss of control can be traced to a tire blowout, tire delaminating or some other such tire failure. In fact this may be one of the most common causes of SUV and similar rollovers of vehicles with a high center of gravity. If you believe the loss of control was the result of a tire blowout, please [CLICK HERE] and complete the form for Defective Tires.

Other Factors
Heavier does not mean better when it comes to motor vehicles. In many cases, vehicle instability can be further aggravated by a full load of passengers, cargo, roof racks and bicycle racks.

Making conditions potentially worse, roof pillars are not designed to prevent massive crushing that often causes deaths, traumatic brain injuries and severed spinal cords, even for properly seat-belted passengers. Because pickup trucks, SUVs and passenger vans are not currently classified as "passenger vehicles", they are not required to meet all of the federal motor vehicle safety standards for crash worthiness imposed on passenger cars and station wagons.

Precedents Have Been Established
Juries have concluded that some model year Ford Broncos and Ford Explorers have specific design defects that make them much more likely than other vehicles to roll over. Other trucks, vans and SUVs are, in many cases just as dangerous.

Additional Information
Statistics from National Highway Transportation Safety Board regarding rollovers in trucks, vans and SUVs:

Forty-five percent of car occupant fatalities in single-vehicle crashes involve rollover, compared to 60 percent for pickup trucks, 65 percent for vans, and 79 percent for sport utility vehicles (SUVs).

Estimates are that 16 percent of light vehicles in police-reported single-vehicle crashes rolled over. The estimated risk of rollover differs by vehicle type: 13 percent of cars and 14 percent of vans in police-reported single-vehicle crashes rolled over compared to 24 percent of pickup trucks and 30 percent of SUVs.

Do I Qualify?
If you or someone you know has been seriously injured or killed as the result of an SUV rollover, especially if it relates to any of the scenarios outlined above, there may be substantial merit for possible legal action and appropriate compensatory and punitive damages.

SUV Rollovers in the News

Aug-24-06: SUV rollover claims a life in I-95 accident. [FLORIDA TODAY]

Aug-22-06: Eleven illegal immigrants die in SUV rollover accident. [SIGN ON SAN DIEGO]

Aug-19-06: Toyota SUV involved in rollover accident. [KSL NEWSRADIO]

Dec-20-02: Attorney General announces a national $51.5 million settlement with Ford Motor Co. for 271 Explorer rollover deaths and 700 injuries. [OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL]

Register your SUV Rollover Complaint

If you or a loved one has suffered from serious injuries or death from an auto accident involving an SUV rollover, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a SUV rollover lawsuit. Please click the link below to submit your complaint to a SUV rollover lawyer for a free case evaluation.