Sport Utility Vehicle Rollovers

Tulsa, Norman, Edmond, Oklahoma City, and McAlester, Oklahoma

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ollover accidents are rare, making up just a tiny percentage of accidents, but they are so severe that they account for about one-third of all fatal auto accidents. Sport utility vehicle (SUV) rollovers are often caused by a defective vehicle or defective tires. Injuries are made worse when the SUV does not offer adequate protection to vehicle occupants during a crash. Those who survive rollovers often have catastrophic injuries requiring extensive medical care and long-term care.

Causes of SUV rollover

The majority of rollover accidents are single vehicle accidents caused by “tripping.” This happens when one of the tires suddenly slows down, usually due to tire failure or hitting an object or soft shoulder. The momentum of the vehicle sends it over the slowed wheel into a roll.

Defects and SUV rollover

Any vehicle can roll, but SUVs have a high center of gravity making them unstable and more likely to roll when they encounter a tripping mechanism. As passengers and cargo are added to the vehicle, the center of gravity rises even more making the SUV even more difficult to control.

Defective tires have been the cause of many SUV rollovers. Defective tires can blowout after little or no wear and under normal driving conditions.

Poor crashworthiness increases severity of injuries

Crashworthiness is a vehicle’s ability to protect occupants in the event of a crash, rather than its likelihood to be involved in an accident. Common SUV defects that lower crashworthiness include:

Poor roof crush resistance
Defective seat belts
Defective airbags
Defective door latch
Defective fuel system

Roof crush

Poor roof crush resistance is a common defect in SUVs, caused by hollow roof pillars and lack of roll bars. When roof crush occurs the roof enters the occupant space. Catastrophic injuries can be caused by impact with the roof during roof crush, and the event can cause seat belt failure and/or ejection from the vehicle. Common roof crush injuries include:

Bursting fracture in the C5 to C7 vertebrae of the cervical spine
Brain injury
Spinal cord injury
Paralysis
Suffocation
Death

Ejection

Roof crush, door latch failure, and seat belt failure are just some of the causes of ejection. Ejection and partial ejection can turn an otherwise survivable accident into a fatal one. Being thrown or partially thrown from the vehicle during a rollover can result in:

Being crushed by the vehicle
Being hit by other vehicles
Being drug by the vehicle
Amputation
Decapitation

SUV rollovers cause severe injuries requiring extensive medical treatment and creating great hardship on victims and loved ones. If you have been injured in an SUV rollover, please contact the law firm of Stipe, Harper, Laizure, Uselton, Belote, Maxcey, &Thetford to schedule your free consultation in the McAlester, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, Oklahoma area today.

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McAlester Office
343 E. Carl Albert Pkwy.
McAlester, OK 74501

Phone: (918) 423-0421
or (800) 658-1596
Fax: (918) 423-0266

Oklahoma City Office
525 Central Park Dr., 101
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Phone: (405) 524-2268
or (800) 299-7299
Fax: (405) 525-3231

Tulsa Office
2417 E. Skelly Dr.
Tulsa, OK 74170

Phone: (918) 749-0749
or (800) 798-2613
Fax: (918) 747-0751

Disclaimer: The information contained throughout this site is meant to generally inform the reader about our areas of practice, including auto accident injury. This information is not meant to be taken as legal advice and nothing on this site establishes a lawyer / client relationship. Our accident lawyers provide legal assistance in the Tulsa area including Oklahoma City, McAlester and Norman, Oklahoma.