Car accidents that result in a rollover can have devastating physical and mental consequences. The high probability of severe injuries often leaves victims with a long road to full recovery. If you experienced a rollover accident and face the challenge of compounding medical bills, increasing emotional distress, and losing your vehicle, you should not have to do it without professional help. When responsibility for the accident belongs to someone who acted negligently, you can file a claim with their insurance company to recover the damages incurred, and you deserve a fair settlement that ensures you never pay out of pocket for the aftereffects of your accident.
How Does a Rollover Accident Happen?
It takes a powerful force to cause a vehicle to flip over and even more for it to continue rolling. A car can roll over multiple times in a matter of seconds, depending on the catalyst for the initial flip. Some common ways that a rollover accident can occur include:
- Speeding on a road with sharp turns and curves. This is particularly dangerous for commercial trucks with heavy loads, but any vehicle can lose control on a sharp turn. When doing so at high speed, the result is often a multi-flip rollover crash.
- Hitting an object on the road at high speed. The right amount of force at the right angle can propel a car into a flip.
- Defects in the mechanics or tires of the vehicle. A blowout can easily make a driver lose control, or a flaw in the car’s design can make it more susceptible to losing balance. For example, the weight distribution makes SUVs and other top-heavy passenger vehicles more likely to flip.
- Collisions with other vehicles. The force of impact can send either one or both cars into a roll.
Whatever the cause, a rollover car accident is a terrifying experience that can leave you in need of deep physical and mental healing.
What Are Some Common Injuries From a Rollover Car Accident?
The severity of injuries caused by a rollover accident depends on many factors. Was the vehicle traveling at high speed? Did the accident happen as a result of a collision? Does the car have a plastic or metal frame? Every accident is different, but some common examples of injuries resulting from a rollover car accident include:
- Head injuries. Traumatic brain injuries occur in two ways. One, a foreign object penetrates the skull and enters the brain, or two, the head suffers blunt-force trauma, causing injury to the brain. Head injuries are often the most deadly of car accident injuries.
- Spinal cord injuries. Any damage to the spinal cord can result in temporary or permanent nerve damage, possibly causing paralysis. Spinal cord injuries can happen with the slightest force in the right spot.
- Internal bleeding. Given the aggressive way the body moves inside a car during a rollover accident, damage to the internal organs is common. Without immediate medical care, you may not even know you have internal bleeding for days when significant damage has already occurred.
- Bruises, contusions, and lacerations. As the vehicle rolls over, broken glass and other things fly around, potentially hitting anyone inside. This is why cuts and bruises are common.
- Broken bones. Anytime your body is thrown around unnaturally, you can possibly break or fracture bones. In a rollover accident, crushed bones are also common.
It is essential to seek medical attention immediately following a rollover accident, even if you feel you came out relatively unscathed. You may have internal injuries that could worsen without an early diagnosis. Additionally, you need medical records to prove your injuries in a lawsuit.
Who Is Liable in a Rollover Car Accident?
Liability is sometimes more challenging in a rollover car accident. You can only pinpoint an at-fault party by evaluating the details of your case. However, a few parties that could be responsible for a rollover accident include:
- The driver of the vehicle that flipped could be responsible if their own errors caused the accident. For example, driving while impaired or violating road laws would place the driver at fault.
- Another driver could be responsible for many reasons. For example, side-swiping during a lane change or merging could make another driver liable for causing a rollover.
- Any party involved in the manufacturing process could include a multitude of people. For example, if the tire manufacturer knowingly sold a defective tire, they could be held accountable in a product liability case. The same is true for the vehicle manufacturer. However, if the company issued a recall for a defective part and the owner never had it fixed, liability would then return to the car’s owner.
If your rollover accident involves a commercial truck, the accident could be even more complex. For example, if the truck rolled over, causing a multiple car accident, the liable party could be the driver, the company that owns the truck, or a third party who loaded the truck trailer. You may even need to file multiple cases for the accident or file a single lawsuit against more than one defendant.
What Damages Could You Recover From a Rollover Accident?
The losses from a personal injury claim are generally very similar. However, the value of damages varies significantly from case to case. Because rollover accident cases often result in severe injuries and irreparable vehicle damage, the value of your claim can be more significant than the average car accident case.
The compensatory damages include those losses you experienced as a direct result of your injuries. Examples include:
- Medical costs. These include bills for hospital visits, aftercare, prescription medications, medical devices needed to accommodate a disability, expenses related to emergency care, and the future cost of rehabilitative care.
- Lost income. As you recover from your injuries, you will miss work. You can claim lost wages from missed work or from the inability to perform the same position you did before your accident.
- Cost of property damage. Rollover accidents almost exclusively result in the totaling of the vehicle that rolled over. In addition, the damage is often irreparable, meaning the at-fault party is responsible for replacing your damaged property.
- Other economic expenses. Every situation is different. However, you can claim losses such as the cost of childcare if you were the primary caregiver or the cost of household help if you can no longer care for things around the house.
- Non-economic damages. You can receive compensation for the emotional and mental anguish you suffered due to the accident. For example, post-traumatic stress disorder is common in people who experience a rollover accident. Other examples include emotional distress, loss of consortium, loss of companionship, and a diminished ability to find enjoyment in life.
In cases involving gross negligence, you may even sue for punitive damages. However, awards for punitive damages are not typical in car accident cases. Still, if you can prove that another party involved in your accident acted with the intent to harm or with disregard for their responsibility to practice caution on the road, you may have a case for punitive damages.
Why Would You Benefit From Contacting a Rollover Car Accident Lawyer?
If you have never experienced the process of filing a personal injury claim, it may appear relatively open and shut to you. However, the difficulty often comes from the pushback you receive from the defense. You may face challenges from the insurance agent, whose task is to protect the company’s best interest at all costs. In dire situations, you may even deal with bad faith tactics employed by the insurer in an attempt to avoid a payout. Some examples of bad faith tactics include:
- Refusing to pay your claim without a valid reason
- Delaying an investigation into your case without reason
- Undervaluing your claim
- Deliberating changing the policy to make it suit their agenda
- Avoiding your attempts to communicate
- Talking to you aggressively
- Attempting to shift blame to you
In most states, the statute of limitations for filing a car accident lawsuit is three years. Additionally, you may only have two years to file a wrongful death case. Unfortunately, sometimes insurance companies will avoid reaching a conclusion to run out the clock on your ability to sue. A car accident lawyer is well aware of these tactics. They handle communications for you and will hold the insurer accountable.
As you face the physical and mental challenges of your injuries or try to grieve the loss of someone you love, you should be able to do so without financial struggles brought on by someone else’s careless choices. The team at Jason Stone Injury Lawyers can offer you experienced legal representation to help you get the settlement you deserve while you focus on healing. We are familiar with the burdens you face and can help alleviate some. Jason Stone Injury Lawyers require no upfront fees to get started on your case. The first element of the Stone Cold Guarantee ensures we get paid only after you get paid. For more information about how we can benefit your case, contact us today for a free case evaluation. There’s No Obligation, Just Information (R).