Rollover Accident in Sacramento Causes Life-Threatening Injuries
A rollover accident on November 19 sent one person to a Sacramento hospital with major injuries. The accident was reported by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as happening at about 9:47 in the morning along westbound Elverta Road. This is about one mile east of State Route 99 northbound. According to the police report, the driver may have been ejected from their SUV after the vehicle left the road. The vehicle then struck a light pole, which was sheared at its base, and rolled over, landing on its roof. Elverta Road was closed from SR 99 to the accident scene. It was decided to use an airlift to transport the seriously injured patient to UC Davis Medical Center. The fire department battalion chief set up the landing zone on Elverta Road for the helicopter where it landed. The helicopter took off at around 10:33 a.m. No further information was available at the time of this report. The CHP is investigating the rollover accident to determine how it happened. Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) responded to the rollover accident and shut down power lines in the area.
Rollover Dangers
Rollover accidents are dangerous and have a high fatality rate. More than 10,000 people die every year in such accidents. Vehicles with high centers of gravity are susceptible to rollovers such as SUVs and light trucks. The majority of such crashes involve a single-vehicle whose driver loses control due to slippery roads, hitting soft dirt, or the curb. Ejections are common also and usually related to the person not wearing a seat belt. Someone without the protection of a seat belt is 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle. In addition, 75 percent of those ejected from their vehicle in a crash will die of their injuries.
Outside Factors That Cause Rollovers
Sometimes outside factors lead to rollovers. This ranges from poor road conditions to an aggressive driver. Mechanical defects can also contribute to a rollover accident. For example, a steering wheel malfunction or accelerator problem can be a causative factor.
Crushed Roofs and Rollovers
The inability of a car’s roof to stand up to the weight of the vehicle and crush in on the passenger compartment is called a crushed roof. It is also involved in the high ejection rate since the action opens up additional portals through which the occupant can be thrown. There are federal regulations that stipulate the strength a vehicle’s roof must have. However, this rule is not adequate to prevent roof crush from happening in all cases. In addition, manufacturers who do their own safety testing have ignored results that show a vehicle’s roof strength is inadequate. Poor workmanship may cause the roof to collapse also. Roof design can be a problem, and once again, the facts are ignored rather than making changes.
Fighting a Roof Crush Injury
Our firm is experienced in rollover accidents and roof crush. Our investigative team looks for defects in the vehicle’s structure and does accident reconstruction tests. Our experts measure the strength of the roof and determine if it is above the minimum standards set by the government. We also look to see if there was evidence of another driver who caused the accident and left the scene.
Alternately, we look to the vehicle itself, searching for any mechanical defects. We also work with medical experts who provide information as to the extent and recoverability of the injuries our client suffered. On the ground, our investigative team looks for evidence as to why the accident happened, such as poorly maintained roads. We interview witnesses and obtain video footage if possible. Our investigative team also reviews police reports for errors. This information is passed to our lawyers who use it to build a solid case for our client.
Sacramento Auto Accident Attorneys
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Auto Accident Attorney. Rollover accidents, as well as other types of traffic collisions, can result in severe injuries. If negligence contributed to your accident injuries, I would like to offer you my free and friendly advice. You can reach me at (916) 921-6400 locally or (800) 404-5400 long-distance if you live elsewhere in Northern California. You can also message me through the online contact form, and I will call you back.
During my 37 years working as an injury lawyer, it has been my privilege to have helped many people in obtaining the compensation they deserve after an accident. Areas of my practice include wrongful deaths, all types of traffic accidents, and claims against a negligent government entity.
You are invited to look over client reviews on Avvo, Yelp and Google, and a list of some cases that were handled by my law firm at Settlements and Verdicts.
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