According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, each year in the United States, more than 36,000 people die in motor vehicle accidents, and an additional 1.7 million suffer serious, but non-fatal injuries. While not all motor vehicle accidents contribute to these harrowing statistics, some types of accidents are particularly dangerous in terms of injuries and property damage. Kentucky rollover accidents fall into the five most dangerous types of car accidents. Despite a slight decline in the rate of fatal accidents, Kentucky car accident injury and death tolls remain higher than the national average.
Common Injuries in Kentucky Rollover Accidents
The National Automotive Sampling System (NASS), collects, reviews, and publishes data regarding the types of injuries rollover accident victims often experience. The study found that the severity of a rollover accident depends on various factors such as seat belt use, ejection status, injury source, and roof deformation. These factors impact the likelihood of a car flipping over and causing serious injuries. Unlike other types of accidents, rollovers often impact all five of the body’s major areas.
Rollover injury victims tend to experience less “crash force” than those in head-on collisions; however, a car flipping over subjects occupants’ bodies to extremely high “G-forces.” G-force is the energy that a body experiences during sudden acceleration or deceleration. This force can cause a person to sustain sudden, extreme crushing injuries. Rollovers typically cause injuries to the victim’s head and neck, thorax, abdomen, and upper and lower limbs. Most Kentucky rollover crash victims experience injuries to most of these areas, with the head and neck being the most susceptible area.
There are several common consequences of rollover accidents.
Head and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
These injuries occur when an accident’s force penetrates or fractures the skull. Head injuries and TBI can cause a person to experience confusion, disorientation, dizziness, vision loss, personality changes, and coma.
Spinal and Thoracic Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can result from blunt trauma to the chest. These injuries can cause shortness of breath, lung collapse, respiratory distress, hypotension, or shock.
Abdominal and Pelvic Injuries
Rollover accidents can cause serious injuries to the abdomen and pelvis because of a vehicle’s inherent design. Seat belts, bumpers, and airbags surround these vulnerable areas. The fierce impact can cause pelvic bone fractures and internal organ injuries, resulting in blood loss, ruptures, and bruising.
Broken Bones
Rollover accident victims are often thrown out of the vehicle. This ejection can cause the victim to slam into pavement or concrete. The force of striking these hard surfaces may result in various broken bones such as the clavicle, fibula, sternum, and arms. The symptoms of broken bones include extreme pain, bruising, deformity, and swelling.
At the Gladstein Law Firm, PLLC, we aggressively represent Kentucky rollover accident victims recover financial compensation for their injuries and damages against the parties responsible for the accident.
Causes of Rollover Accidents
It is vital that motorists take steps to avoid a rollover accident. Individuals should always wear a seatbelt and practice safe defensive driving techniques. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that rollover accidents are among the deadliest types of accidents. Rollover accidents occur when a vehicle loses its stability. The vehicle’s center of gravity and track influence the likelihood of whether a vehicle is prone to rolling over. However, many other factors may contribute to a Kentucky rollover accident.
Driver Control
The most common cause of a Kentucky rollover accident is the loss of driver control or and driver error. Drowsy and distracted drivers can inadvertently slam into an obstruction, which can negatively impact a vehicle’s center of gravity, resulting in a rollover.
Driver Error
Drivers who engage in risky behavior such as speeding, swerving, and unsafe passing can cause a rollover. Sudden maneuvers, especially with SUVs and trucks, can cause a tire to lose friction with the road, causing a car to tip and roll over.
Multi-Vehicle Accidents
In many cases, rollovers occur during a multi-vehicle crash. Vehicles approaching a multi-vehicle collision may be unable to avoid a flipped over car. The additional sudden collision can cause the approaching vehicle to roll over as well.
Receiving Compensation After a Rollover Accident
Those that suffer injuries because of the negligence of another may be able to obtain compensation for their damages. Accident victims may recover against responsible drivers, manufacturers, or governmental entities.
To recover damages, the plaintiff must establish that the defendant owed them a duty, that they breached the duty, and that the breach caused the victim’s injuries. However, establishing negligence, especially in cases involving multiple parties, is rarely straightforward. An attorney can help a Kentucky rollover accident victim determine what damages are available.
Generally, damages after a rollover accident include payments for:
- Medical expenses, including emergency treatment, inpatient hospitalizations, rehabilitation treatment, medical devices, and prescription costs;
- Lost income resulting from an inability to work due to injury; and
- Pain and suffering, including physical pain, emotional distress, and inconvenience resulting from injuries.
Kentucky accident victims must abide by the state’s strict substantive and procedural rules concerning personal injury claims. The failure to comply with the statute of limitations or meet evidentiary burdens may result in the dismissal of an otherwise valid claim. It is important that Kentucky injury victims contact an attorney to discuss their rights and remedies following a rollover accident.
Contact the Gladstein Law Firm, PLLC for Immediate Assistance with Your Roll Over Accident Claim
If you or a loved one was recently injured in a Kentucky rollover accident, reach out to the Gladstein Law Firm, PLLC to see how we can help. We have a decades-long history of successfully representing accident victims and their families in all types of personal injury claims, including those involving a flipped over car. We recognize that this is an exceptionally stressful time for you and your family, and we want to help in any way we can. With our assistance, you may be able to obtain the compensation you deserve, so you can start to move on with your life. To learn more, give us a call or connect with us through our online form.
