SUV Rollover Accident Attorneys
Sport Utility Vehicles
Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) account for approximately 25% of vehicles purchased in America today. Families buy Sport Utility Vehicles for a variety of reasons including the idea that they are safer than cars. However, statistics indicate that most SUVs have higher death rates than cars and minivans due to the risk of rollovers. Well over half of deaths from SUV accidents are a result of a rollover, with more than 10,000 people killed annually in SUV rollover accidents.
Because of their high center of gravity (riding higher off the ground), resulting in compromised stability, sport utility vehicles have a tendency to roll over in an accident, collision, or sudden swerve. Although sport utility vehicle rollover accidents are a small percentage of overall accidents in this country, an alarming number of SUVs have rollover accidents, and an alarming percentage of rollover accidents result in fatalities. Sport utility vehicle rollovers account for approximately one-third of fatal vehicle crashes.
Roof Crush
The biggest danger to vehicle occupants in the event of a rollover is known as "roof crush " which means that the roof does not maintain its integrity upon rollover and is crushed or collapses, seriously injuring the vehicle occupants. The result is often serious head and neck injuries, and, all too often, death, paralysis, or other severe disabilities. Most injuries in SUV rollover accidents are compounded by defective roofs that fail to maintain their integrity and fail to protect the occupants.
High Risk
Since SUV and other high profile vehicle manufacturers are aware of the rollover tendency, one would think it would be incumbent upon manufacturers to design and build vehicles with a strong enough roof supported by reinforcements and roll bars to protect the vehicle's occupants in the event of rollover. But this is not the case, and the NTHSA has not, to date, required these basic safety features.
Some of the sport utility vehicles with particularly hazardous rollover tendencies include the Lincoln Navigator, the Ford Explorer, the Ford Expedition and the Chevrolet Blazer. In March of 2005, Reuters News Service declared " GM's Blazer Ranked Deadliest Car on U.S. Roadways. " And a study released in March of 2005 revealed that crushed Explorer roofs were a major cause of death in SUV rollover accidents involving the Ford vehicle . (link to full article http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0503/31/A01-134889.htm ). In 2004, the Ford Explorer SportTrac received the worst rollover rating of any 2004 SUV model tested by the government.
Ford Explorer
Despite the March 2005 evidence-and despite the nearly 300 deaths and over 700 injuries attributed to the now infamous Explorer/Firestone Tire accidents in which hundreds of men, women and children were killed or maimed by the lethal combination of defective Explorer design and defective Firestone tires -
the Ford Explorer is still one of the best-selling SUVs in the world. Although Firestone tires are no longer installed on Ford Explorers, there is still serious question about the safety of the sport utility vehicles themselves. The Explorer is a relatively unstable SUV, particularly susceptible to rolling over because of its narrow wheelbase combined with its high center of gravity common to all SUVs. It is interesting to note that Firestone itself felt that the Explorer was basically an unstable vehicle because the wheelbase is too narrow and the propensity of the vehicle to roll over is too great.
Caution
Before buying a Ford Explorer or any other sport utility vehicle, it is imperative to educate yourself about the rollover tendencies of SUVs and make sure that the vehicle you are considering purchasing is safe for you and your family.
If this caution is coming too late, and you or someone you know has already been involved in an SUV rollover accident, please call our SUV rollover accident injury attorneys for more information about SUV rollover accident claims and lawsuits.
The law firm of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Echsner & Proctor, P.A. has a long history of jury verdict awards and has been nationally recognized as one of the top firms in jury verdicts and claims. Our attorneys specialize in product liability cases and settlements.
If you or a loved one has been harmed in a sport utility vehicle accident rollover, please call or email our experienced SUV rollover accident attorneys today. We'll evaluate your claim for free and help you get the justice you deserve.
To contact our SUV rollover attorneys please call 888-435-7001 or
email us today .
Levin • Papantonio • Thomas • Mitchell • Echsner & Proctor, P.A.
316 South Baylen Street, Suite 600 • Pensacola, FL 32502-5996
