Long Island Rollover Accident Lawyer
John Giuffre and the Giuffré Law Team have handled many traumatic rollover crashes. Call our Long Island rollover accident lawyers today to discuss your case if you or your family has been injured in a rollover car crash.
What Are Rollover Crashes?
A rollover crash refers to a collision that sends a vehicle tumbling side over side, or end over end in some instances.
Long Island Injury Attorney Nassau County Rollover Car Accidents
Thankfully, rollover car accidents are rare; only somewhere around three percent of serious crashes involve a rollover. However, when they do happen, they are often deadly. Somewhere between 25 and 30% of auto accident fatalities are from rollovers. If you or a loved one has been injured or worse in a rollover crash in Long Island or New York City, the Giuffré Law Offices, P.C., is here for you. Our seasoned New York personal injury and wrongful death attorney is experienced in recovering compensation for the most severe injuries in the most serious accidents. We’ll do our best to see that you get the care and compensation you need and deserve after a rollover car accident in Nassau County or surrounding areas.
Why do rollover car accidents happen?
Rollover accidents can happen in a collision with another vehicle when the ramming vehicle pushes the car on its side or end-over-end. A rollover car crash is rare and depends on a specific combination of factors, including the difference in size and construction between the vehicles involved.
In addition to two-vehicle collisions, rollover accidents can happen for a number of other reasons, such as the following:
Trips in the road. A trip in the road is any object or defect that a car can trip over, the same way a person can trip over an obstacle. Potholes, curbs, guardrails, and unpaved shoulders (soft shoulders) can all serve as trips that send a car into a rollover. The faster the vehicle is going, the more likely it is for a trip to cause a rollover. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 95% of all single-vehicle rollovers are caused by trips. In rare instances, top-heavy vehicles can roll over without a trip, often due to a high-speed collision avoidance maneuver.
The way a road is designed and built can make it more or less susceptible to a rollover crash. Those responsible for road construction should take care to safely design roads and put up adequate warnings and signage in areas where a rollover is more likely.
Defective vehicle design. Pickup trucks, vans and SUVs are more susceptible to rollovers because of their high center of gravity and narrow wheelbase. Unfortunately, auto manufacturers continue to make these vehicles bigger and taller, while at the same marketing them as suitable for off-roading where a rollover is more likely to occur. A feature known as Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is well-established to help prevent rollover car accidents, yet ESC is far from being universally adopted in the auto industry; only about half of all vehicle models include this safety feature.
In addition to suspension design flaws, few of these vehicles are built with reinforced roofs, despite their propensity to roll over. Adding reinforcement to the roof is an extra cost that is often not viewed as worthwhile to automakers, given the low number of rollovers. However, a roof crush in a rollover is much more likely to cause a catastrophic injury like a TBI or spinal cord injury, as well as wrongful death.
Wrong Tires. Tire dealers looking to maximize their profits may sell the wrong tire for a vehicle, such as a high-performance sport tire or an all-season tire mismatched to the car. Just because the tire is the right size does not mean it should be installed on a given vehicle. Putting on the wrong tire for the regional climate is another mistake tire shops and mechanics can make. Tires designed for wet weather will not perform as well in dry climates, and vice versa. The average consumer (and inexperienced tire dealer) may think that the more grip, the better, but too much grip can instigate a rollover. A tire with less grip on the road allows the car to release the lateral forces that build up and pull the vehicle to one side during travel.
Overcorrecting. A sharp turn of the wheel can sometimes cause you to drive right into a rollover. You may have little choice when a drunk or distracted driver suddenly veers into your lane, but a sharp turn shifts the center of gravity to one side of the vehicle, which can initiate a rollover depending on the type of car. Inexperienced or panicked drivers may start a rollover by overcorrecting: after turning quickly to avoid another vehicle or obstacle in the road, they turn the wheel too sharply in the other direction.
Help for You and Your Family after a Long Island or NYC Rollover Car Accident
At Giuffré Law Offices, we take the time to thoroughly investigate and understand the facts behind a rollover car accident. We take pains to go after all responsible parties – negligent drivers, automakers, tire dealers, makers of defective road designs, road maintenance entities, and others. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or worse in a rollover car accident in Long Island or New York City, call Giuffré Law Offices in Garden City/Stewart Manor, Brooklyn or Queens. We’ll work to see that you are taken care of during this difficult time and receive appropriate compensation for the harm done to you.
