Drivers involved in truck, van, or SUV rollover accidents are far more likely to sustain serious injuries or fatalities than those in other kinds of car accidents. In order to cover the extensive medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and income losses that are involved, many who have been affected by a rollover accident have found that the most effective course of action is to file a vehicle rollover lawsuit.
Injured victims looking for a car accident lawyer should look no further than Eisbrouch Marsh, a personal injury law firm representing residents of NJ and New York City for the past 25 years. Our aggressive, knowledgeable approach to SUV and truck rollover accidents has helped obtain maximum compensation for our clients.
Because we work on a contingency basis, we will charge no legal fees unless we win you the compensation that you deserve through a settlement or jury verdict. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation to answer any questions you may have about whether filing a vehicle rollover lawsuit is in your best interest. We serve Hudson, Passaic, Middlesex, Essex, Morris and Bergen County, as well as all five boroughs of NYC and Westchester. Call us at 201-342-5545.
Why Are Rollover Crashes So Serious?
The vast majority of vehicle rollover accidents are single car crashes that occur when an obstacle in the road destabilizes a car and causes it to roll and flip. Although any car can roll over, vehicles such as SUVs, passenger vans, and pick-up trucks are far more likely to roll because they have a higher center of gravity. Such accidents are more likely to be deadly. SUV accidents account for only a small number of car crashes altogether; however, more than two times the percentage of fatal SUV crashes involve rollovers compared to other cars.
New Jersey has a high rate of car accidents and poor driving (the “second worst” according to a 2012 issue of Forbes’ review of insurance records), and rollover accidents, particularly those in large vehicles like vans and SUVs, account for many of the worst injuries and fatalities.
Eisbrouch Marsh can perform a thorough investigation into the conditions that led to the vehicle rollover accident that harmed you or a member of your family, considering any weather or road conditions that may have been involved, and conducting a thorough review of your car’s safety and recall record. We will leave no stone unturned as we discover the underlying causes of the tragic accident that you have had to cope with.
Fatalities and Injuries from Rollover Accidents
Rollover accidents accounted for only three percent of serious car crashes in 2010. In the same year, they were responsible for 30 percent of all vehicle crash fatalities.
If you were lucky enough to survive such an accident, you nevertheless may be unfortunate enough to endure extremely serious injuries, including:
- Spinal cord injuries or paralysis
- Head or brain injuries, including brain damage
- Other back or neck injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Fractures
Head injuries are especially common because the body in a rollover accident is frequently ejected from the car head-first. However, some factors can mitigate injury or prevent death, even in a serious rollover accident. As in all accidents, the use of a seatbelt can be crucial. But the construction of the vehicle itself, over which the driver and passengers have no control, can also play a role.
NJ personal injury attorneys at Eisbrouch Marsh can review medical records and other evidence related to the accident to determine whether your injuries were due to factors beyond your control, and where liability for these factors lies.
Who Is Liable in a Rollover Accident?
Consider these possible scenarios involving vehicle rollover accidents:
- A 15-person passenger van carrying travelers to Newark Airport flips and rolls on the exit ramp from the NJ Turnpike, injuring and killing a number of its passengers.
- Teenagers in an SUV out on a Friday night flip the vehicle and sustain serious injuries on the way home from a party.
- A driver of a 14-wheeler truck skids on a patch of ice and overturns his truck.
- A mother with a SUV full of baseball players overturns the van on the way home from practice.
All these scenarios could take place. Statistically, many rollover accidents occur on weekend nights and involve young men under 25. Frequently, alcohol is involved. And, frequently, these young men are not wearing their seat belts.
However, “responsible” drivers, too, sustain serious injuries and fatalities in rollover accidents. Debris left in the road may cause a vehicle, particularly one with a high center of gravity, to “trip” and then flip. Sometimes drivers of large vehicles have not been properly trained as to how to handle a large vehicle and roll it over due to insufficient training and passengers in a commercial vehicle suffer. And, in a number of cases, the vehicle itself is to blame. Sometimes a combination of factors is at work.
If you are not sure who is liable in your accident, that’s the time to call in the experts. Eisbrouch Marsh can discuss the accident with you and perform a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Even if you believe that a mistake on your part was partly to blame, don’t hesitate to contact us about a possible case; one mistake on your end doesn’t get other parties off the hook if they were responsible for maintaining a road free of debris, or producing a vehicle with adequate safety features.
SUVs and Rollover Propensity
We have found that a number of vehicle rollover accidents could have been prevented or mitigated if there had not been problems with the vehicle itself. Problems with tires or wheels can lead to more accidents. Vehicles such as the Ford Explorer, Toyota 4 Runner, Isuzu Rodeo, and Honda Passport have been tied to a disproportionately high number of rollover accidents.
In other cases, weak roofs or inadequate safety restraints allow for more injuries or deaths in the event of a rollover crash. As a class, SUVs have a reputation for safety that is not merited, given the high rate of deadly rollover accidents that they cause. If you have been involved in a truck rollover crash, one of the first things that our attorneys will consider is whether auto defects may have been all or partly to blame for injuries or deaths involved in the crash.
Compensation Available
If you or a member of your family has suffered because of a vehicle rollover accident in NJ, including Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Middlesex, Morris and Bergen County, compensation may be available to you through a rollover accident lawsuit.
Damages can be awarded for the following losses, especially where permanent injuries or disability have resulted:
- Medical expenses, past and future
- Cost of rehabilitation
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
- Diminished quality of life
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
If you have lost a loved one due to a vehicle rollover fatality, you may want to consider pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit.
It is obviously important to seek medical attention after an accident of such magnitude; this should be a first priority. However, remember that the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury complaint such as a vehicle rollover lawsuit in New Jersey is two years. Therefore, it is important not to wait too long until acting.
Free Consultation
In the wake of a devastating accident, you may have many questions about how you will cope, physically, emotionally, and financially. Accident attorneys at Eisbrouch Marsh want to help you come through the experience, and we will start by giving you an honest, sympathetic, and thorough consultation about the nature of your case.
We have been serving clients in New York City and New Jersey, including Hackensack, Bergen County, Newark, Essex County and nearby areas, for 25 years and are proud of the record of accountability and success that we have built with many cases won and extensive settlements negotiated. We would like to help you as well. Please call 201-342-5545 to set up a free case evaluation to discuss the details of your case.
