Have you or a loved one been injured in a rollover accident or other car accident? Contact the rollover accident lawyers of Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys for a free consultation.
One of the most dangerous types of motor vehicle crash is when your vehicle flips over onto its roof. Rollover crashes can cause catastrophic injuries or death. In fact, according to the NHTSA, rollover accidents have a higher fatality rate than any other type of automobile crash. While they account for only 3% of car crashes, rollover crashes make up more than 35% of fatal car accidents.
If you were hurt in a rollover car accident or lost a loved one because of another driver’s negligence, you should spare no time in getting an experienced car accident lawyer to help you with your case. Since 1959, the car accident lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys have helped thousands of clients in Pennsylvania recover maximum compensation for their injuries and losses. Contact us today for a free consultation where an experienced attorney will review the details of your claim, and advise you as to how to proceed.
What is the Benefit of Hiring a Rollover Accident Attorney After a Car Accident?
Rollover accidents often result in serious injuries or death. You or your family member might be facing extended hospital stays, surgeries, medical bills, missed time from work, and more. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get the compensation you need from the insurance company when you need it most. Even if the other driver’s insurance company agrees to pay, they are unlikely to offer what you truly need and deserve. This is where an experienced car accident attorney can help you.
A rollover accident lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys does a lot more than simply filing a lawsuit and negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf.
Once you’ve had your free case evaluation and secured Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys to represent you, we can help you in your claim by:
- Gathering evidence and obtaining police reports
- Identify all possible defendants
- Utilizing professional experts to recreate the accident and determine your long-term medical needs
- File your personal injury lawsuit in the appropriate court
- Calculate the total financial compensation owed
- Negotiate with the insurance companies to obtain a fair settlement
- Present your case and fight for you in court
- Be your resource and answer your questions all along the way
The fact is, not all personal injury law firms are equally qualified. Your choice of legal representation is important, because it can affect the outcome of your case, and your financial stability for years to come. There are some personal injury lawyers who would prefer to settle your case out of court rather than go to trial. At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, all of our attorneys have courtroom experience and will bring your case before a jury if that’s what it takes to get you the compensation you deserve. We have access to extensive resources, including the top medical, technical, and economic experts in the industry. We’ll spare no expense in building your case, and if we don’t win, you owe us nothing.
How Much Does a Rollover Accident Lawyer Cost?
At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we do not believe that financial constraints should keep you from procuring legal representation following a rollover crash. This is why we work on a contingency fee basis meaning you do not pay anything upfront. Instead, we only take a percentage of your settlement or verdict once the claim or case has closed. If we do not win your case, you owe us nothing.
Rollover car accident victims can’t afford to go without representation for their personal injury lawsuits. Accident victims who hire an attorney receive three times more in compensation on average than those who attempt to settle on their own. That number can be much higher in the event of a serious crash. What’s more, those who represent themselves risk receiving nothing at all, especially if they are not well versed in the technicalities and complex rules of the court system.
Properly pursuing a legal case is expensive (on top of your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses). When you hire a lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we invest all of the necessary resources into building your case, and we accept the financial consequences if your case is not successful.
How Does a Rollover Car Accident Lawyer Determine Liability?
Determining liability in a rollover car accident can be complicated as many factors can contribute to the wreck. However, to determine whether or not the other party’s at fault, rollover accident lawyers will investigate the
Damages in a Rollover Crash
Once liability has been established, your personal injury attorney will determine the compensation you deserve for your auto accident case by calculating your economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are the measurable financial losses or costs you have incurred as a result of the accident. These may include your past medical bills, future medical bills, the cost of physical therapy or rehabilitation, modifications to your home or vehicle to accommodate a disability, missed time from work, and lost earning power. Noneconomic damages include things like pain and suffering, loss of companionship, and altered quality of life.
How Dangerous Are Rollover Accidents?
Rollover accidents can be extremely destructive, especially if the vehicle flips multiple times before coming to rest. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, rollover crashes account for 33 percent of all passenger vehicle fatalities. More than 10,000 people are killed each year in a rollover accident. And of those who died, the majority of them were not wearing a seat belt.
There are two ways rollover crashes can occur: tripped or un-tripped. A tripped rollover is when your vehicle leaves the roadway or slides sideways. It then either digs its tires into the soft soil or strikes an object like a guardrail. This causes a high tripping force to the tires which causes the rollover. This can happen if another vehicle collides with you, causing you to lose control of your vehicle or sending you off of the road.
An untripped rollover is less common, only occurring less than 5 percent of the time. Instead of an object or impact causing the tripping mechanism, a high speed maneuver, such as swerving or taking a turn without slowing down, can cause the vehicle to tip over.
How do Rollover Accidents Happen?
There are many factors that cause rollover accidents. But there are some common causes of these types of car crashes, such as:
- Vehicle Type — The taller and thinner a vehicle is, such as a sport utility vehicle (SUV) or a van, the higher its center of gravity and the more likely a rollover accident can occur. Drivers of these “top heavy” vehicles must then use added caution and maintain a safe speed, especially when navigating sharp curves in the road.
- Speed — Nearly three-fourths of fatal rollovers took place in an area where the speed limit was 55 mph or higher. Speed often accounts for single-vehicle rollover crashes, wherein the speeding driver loses control of his or her vehicle, and the vehicle flips. When traveling at an excessive speed, it becomes much more difficult to navigate twists and turns, respond to changes in the flow of traffic, and avoid collisions with other vehicles.
- Alcohol — Nearly half of the fatal rollover crashes involved drinking and driving
- Road Conditions – Icy, snow-covered roads can cause vehicles to lose traction and flip over. Other inclement weather conditions like a sudden snow squall or fog can limit visibility; if drivers do not exercise appropriate caution, they may cause a crash that leads to a rollover.
- Road Location — Car crashes, including rollovers, can be more common on rural roads where a lack of traffic and other mitigating factors like stoplights can give way to reckless driving behaviors.
- Driver Behavior — Negligent behavior, such as aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving, or drowsy driving, can result in a crash that involves a rollover. Driver distraction can be cognitive, visual, or manual – meaning, any activity that takes your mind, eyes, or hands away from the task of driving. Mobile phone use is the number one distraction on the road, but other activities like eating and drinking, conversing with a passenger, or hands-free phone calls can take your attention from the road and lead to a wreck.
- Auto Product Liability — If there is an issue with your vehicle, such as a tire defect or design flaw, this may cause a rollover accident.
What Are Common Rollover Car Accident Injuries?
Because of the high fatality rate of rollover crashes, these car accidents lead to some of the most serious injuries a victim may sustain in a collision. Common rollover car accident injuries include:
Traumatic brain injury – Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are some of the most common and most serious injuries people sustain in a rollover crash. A TBI can result in long lasting brain damage, permanent disability, and extensive therapy and recovery time. A rollover accident can cause open head injuries including skull fractures resulting from a blunt force or laceration to the head. Or, drivers and passengers may suffer closed head injuries from the impact, including concussion, brain swelling, brain bleeds, and more. Brain injuries are not always immediately recognizable, and can become worse if they are not treated quickly, so it is extremely important to seek medical treatment after a crash of any kind. An experienced personal injury lawyer can work with medical experts to calculate the full extent of the care you will require for your head injury to make sure you receive fair compensation.
Broken bones – In a rollover crash, vehicle occupants frequently sustain broken bones and fractures of the arms, wrists, legs, ribs, and facial bones. Broken bones can require multiple surgeries and take a long time to heal. A fractured rib can even lead to more serious complications if it punctures an internal organ.
Back and neck injury – The impact of the collision and/or the experience of being violently thrown around the inside of a vehicle as it rolls can cause serious neck and back injuries including disc problems, spinal fractures, bruising, and painful soft tissue injuries like whiplash.
Spinal cord injuries and paralysis – A serious rollover crash can cause such damage to the spinal cord as to result in partial or full paralysis. Rollover crash victims can suffer from paraplegia, quadriplegia, or other conditions limiting their ability to live life as they used to.
Amputation of limbs – A rollover accident can cause crushing injuries to passengers’ arms and legs. In some cases, the damage is so extensive that the limb must be amputated altogether. Losing a limb is a life-changing event that will have a host of financial, professional, personal, psychological, and emotional ramifications for years to come.
Death – In the most tragic cases, rollovers can result in a loss of life. A rollover accident lawsuit can bring justice for your family.
Contact a Rollover Car Accident Lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys Now
Don’t fight the insurance company alone. You’re going to need the assistance of a personal injury lawyer who has handled thousands of these types of cases across the Commonwealth. If you were involved in a rollover accident that resulted in serious injuries, don’t delay. Contact a rollover accident lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys now for a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rollover Accidents
When you have suffered severe injuries as a result of a rollover accident, you need to establish an attorney-client relationship as soon as possible to secure the compensation you deserve. Have questions about making a claim? Learn more in our rollover car accidents FAQ.
Who Can Be Held At Fault For a Rollover Collision?
There are multiple parties who can be held liable for rollover car accidents. Most commonly, a personal injury lawsuit may claim negligence by one or more of the following parties:
- Car manufacturer: If manufacturing defects, defective tires, etc. were the cause of the vehicle rollover, the manufacturer or designer can be held responsible.
- Government entities: When poor road conditions such as loose gravel, potholes, and other maintenance issues that are the responsibility of the government are the cause of a collision, you may be able to gather evidence that proves they were responsible for the collision.
- The other driver: Of course, if you were struck by another driver and the impact caused your car to flip or rollover, the negligent driver should be held accountable. If you were hit by another driver at a high rate of speed, that impact can cause your car to flip.
What if you were found to be partially at fault? Regardless of who is at fault, so long as you are not more than 50 percent responsible for the accident, you can still recover losses such as medical and hospital bills, property damage, lost wages, and more. According to Pennsylvania’s contributory negligence laws, your compensation will be adjusted in proportion to your share of the blame for the wreck.
What if my Rollover Accident was Caused by a Tractor Trailer?
If you were involved in an accident with a large truck or tractor trailer that caused your car to flip over, you don’t need a car accident lawyer – you need a truck accident lawyer. Accidents involving tractor trailers, tanker trucks, and other large commercial vehicles are not only often more destructive than regular car crashes, they are also much more complicated. The personal injury lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys have decades of experience and nationally recognized success in handling complex truck accident cases against large transportation companies nationwide. Our board-certified truck accident lawyers can help you file a truck accident lawsuit against the truck driver, trucking company, broker, and any other liable parties. The award-winning team of truck accident attorneys at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can preserve evidence before it is lost or destroyed, and obtain and analyze black box data and transportation company records to prove the cause of your accident.
I am a Truck Driver and I was Hurt in a Rollover Crash. Can I Sue?
Driving a truck for a living is a dangerous job. A significant number of truck driver fatalities involved a truck rollover. Because 18-wheelers and tractor trailers are such large, top-heavy vehicles, any number of factors from icy roads to improperly distributed loads to other drivers’ negligence can cause a truck to veer off the road and tip over.
These rollover wrecks sometimes lead to fires or explosions. If you are a truck driver who was hurt in a rollover wreck that was not your fault, the truck accident lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can help you. We have represented many truckers who were hurt on the job. We can not only fight for your workers’ compensation benefits, but we will also investigate your claim and pursue any third-party liability that may have contributed to your crash.
What Types of Vehicles are Most Likely to be Involved in a Rollover Accident Case?
Some single-vehicle rollover crashes are more likely to have certain vehicles than others. However, while all types of passenger cars and commercial vehicles are susceptible to rolling over, there are some vehicles that have factors that make them much more susceptible.
More often than not, pickup trucks and SUVs are more likely to result in a rollover car crash because of their high center of gravity, narrower widths, and environmental factors of road conditions.
How Can I Protect Myself From Rollover Wrecks?
While you can never be fully prepared for every motor vehicle accident, there are things you can do to prevent being injured in a rollover accident.
- Keep your vehicle well maintained and ensure all safety features are working
- Wear a seatbelt
- Keep your tires regularly maintained and in good condition
- Don’t overload the vehicle
- Do not drive at excessive speeds
What Should I Do If I’ve Been Hurt in a Rollover Car Accident?
When rollover accidents occur and you or a loved one becomes injured as a result, know that you have options. Car accidents are complex, which means you need legal representation that you can trust.
If you and your vehicle occupants were hurt and suffered broken bones, serious injury, brain trauma, and more, our legal team can help you establish the other party’s negligence and get the compensation needed to move forward.
Immediately following the accident, be sure to seek medical attention and contact the authorities right away. The police will make an official accident report that will serve as an important piece of evidence in your case. Getting medical treatment for yourself and your passengers should be your top priority. As soon as you are able, report the accident to your own insurance company but do not provide a statement to the other party’s insurance. Keep detailed records of all of your doctor visits and any time you have to miss from work.
As soon as possible, call a car accident attorney. Even if you are unsure whether you have a case or not, a lawyer will review the details of your situation and advise you as to how to proceed.
Can Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys Help Me After a Rollover Crash?
The personal injury lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys know how traumatic a rollover car accident can be. Even if the injuries sustained are minor, the impact can be lifelong. If you are in need of legal representation and guidance on how to seek compensation, we can help.
Our lawyers have secured millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for car accident victims, let us do the same for you. We have offices throughout Pennsylvania to better assist car accident victims with their claims.
For a no obligation, free consultation, contact the Pennsylvania rollover car accident lawyers of Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys by calling us or connecting with us online. No one should suffer because of the negligence of another, so do not delay. The more time that passes, the harder it can be to secure evidence and build a claim.