It's true; real life is not like Fast and Furious. In the real world, we have to follow the rules, drive at prudent speeds, and follow the rules of the place where we live; it is not allowed to make illegal races or fight for dominance of the streets aboard your beautiful 4-wheeled sports car.
Real life is more complex than fast and furious; if we make a decision, we could be done with it in seconds, and there is no way to correct the script and re-record the scene. Although, what is possible is to recover from an eventuality and reinvent yourself over time.
In a rollover accident, it seems at times that we are watching an action scene like that of Vin Diesel, a car spinning in the air and even bursting into flames. However, comparisons aside, in real life, these events can be truly fatal for all involved: drivers, pedestrians, witnesses, and the community in general.
It is very difficult to survive an accident of this type because of the magnitude of the damage to the vehicle and because of how exposed the drivers are when they receive several impacts against the ground. Even when the necessary safety measures are taken, such as the use of seat belts or airbags, to reach this magnitude of the accident, it is normal for a violent impact to occur first, and it is that impact that can end someone's life instantly.
These accidents can have various causes. They often range from recklessness that could have been avoided to a sudden technical failure such as a brake or engine failure. What to do in this type of situation? It is a question that is not so easy to answer.
If we look at it from the perspective of those involved, the first thing to check is whether any of them are still alive. In contrast, if we look at it as citizens of the Queens community who have witnessed these events, some of the things we could do are to work on prevention, dissemination of information, and strategies that bring together civil groups, local police, authorities, and NGOs, among others.
By joining forces, it is possible that the message of prevention can reach the drivers of New York. In addition, we could think of dissemination campaigns that also include technical aspects to be taken into account as part of the review of our vehicles and thus avoid any unwanted technical failure.
At The Ward Law, a rollover car accident lawyer of our team will be in charge of elaborating the best possible strategy for your case, will provide you with information about possible compensations, and will accompany you from beginning to end in this complicated situation in which you have been involved.
In the following paragraphs, we would like to explore in more detail some of the most relevant aspects of these accidents in order to share valuable information with our community and raise awareness about these events.
Understanding Rollover Accidents
Vehicles can tip over onto their side or roof during a rollover accident, which can happen for a variety of reasons. Rollover crashes are frequently followed by serious injuries or even fatalities and can be extremely dangerous.
It is essential to comprehend rollover accidents' dynamics, common causes, and differences from other collision types in order to promote road safety, avoid pain and suffering, and assist victims in getting the right legal help.
Common Causes and Factors Contributing to Rollovers
With all the experience accumulated over the years, we have been able to identify the most common causes that could lead to this type of fatal event:
- Excessive Speed: Driving at high speeds raises the possibility of losing control during turns, which could result in rollover collisions.
- Sharp Turns: Making sharp turns at high speeds or without sufficient control can cause the car to overturn.
- Sudden Lane Changes: Abrupt lane changes, especially at high speeds, can destabilize the vehicle and trigger a rollover.
- Tire Blowouts: Sudden tire failures, such as blowouts, can lead to loss of control and rollover incidents.
- Overcorrecting Directing Maneuvers: Forcefully overcorrecting the directing in reaction to startling occasions can result in rollovers.
- Vehicle Characteristics: Vehicles with higher centers of gravity, like SUVs and vans, are more inclined to rollovers due to their characteristic instability.
- Street Conditions and Climate: Dangerous streets, uneven surfaces, and unfavorable climate conditions can contribute to rollover accidents.
- Driver Behavior: Careless driving, distracted driving, and impeded driving increment the probability of rollover episodes.
As we can see, these causes can be very varied, some of them more related to technical aspects or the characteristics of the vehicles, such as the tendency of SUVs to overturn due to some impact due to their dimensions.
However, sometimes these events can also be multi-causal, where human error is mixed with technical error. The idea is always to reduce the chances of an accident to a minimum through the preventive measures mentioned below in order to avoid unfortunate consequences.
How Rollover Accidents Differ from Other Collisions
- Vertical Movement: Rollovers include a vertical movement where the vehicle tips over onto its side or roof, driving to one-of-a-kind injury patterns.
- Impact force and angle: A rollover produces a different impact force and angle than a frontal or rear-end collision, which affects the type and severity of the injury.
- Unique Injury Patterns: Unlike injuries in other types of crashes, rollovers can cause head, neck, spine, and extremity injuries as a result of the vehicle rolling and rolling.
Understanding the numerous variables that contribute to rollover accidents and how they are recognized from other collision sorts is significant for both drivers and lawful experts in advancing street security, anticipating accidents, and giving effective legal help to victims.
Rollover Accident Trends in Queens
- Recurrence and Predominance: Rollover accidents are a critical concern in Queens, contributing to a notable portion of the overall accidents in the borough. Their recurrence underscores the importance of understanding their causes and implementing preventive measures.
Based on a studio from the Insurance Information Institute, Rollover accidents were linked to around 3 thousand deaths during the last two years. That studio also showed that there has been an increase of 12% regarding this type of accident in the state of New York.
Injuries and Impact of Rollover Accidents
As mentioned above, due to the severity of these types of collisions, the fatality rate can be high. However, when you manage to get out alive from such an event, there are injuries that may extend in the long term and take some time for complete healing.
We have seen hundreds of cases over the years, and that has allowed us to group the most characteristic types of injuries related to rollover accidents. Our rollover accident attorneys have seen it all, and with their help, we have been able to put together a list that allows you to identify if any of your injuries match the most common ones:
- Head and Brain Injuries: Rollover accidents often result in head injuries due to the violent motion of the vehicle. Head injuries can range from a concussion to traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can have long-term effects on cognition and function.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: The violent impact and twisting motion of a roll can cause spinal injuries, including herniated discs, fractures, and spinal cord injuries. These injuries can lead to chronic pain, limited mobility, and paralysis.
- Fractures and broken bones: Limbs can be crushed or struck when rolling, causing fractures and fractures. Such injuries may require surgery, long-term rehabilitation, and permanent disability.
- Internal Organ Damage: Sudden changes in motion during a rollover can cause internal organs to collide with each other or the interior of the vehicle. This can lead to internal bleeding, organ damage, and long-term health complications.
- Cervical Sprains and Soft Tissue Injuries: The violent shock and impact of rolling can cause cervical sprains and soft tissue injuries, resulting in neck, back, and shoulder pain. These injuries may appear minor at first glance, but they can cause chronic pain and discomfort.
- Facial Injuries: Rollover accidents can result in facial injuries, including broken bones, cuts, and bruises, from collisions with the passenger compartment or debris.
- Chest Injuries: The force of a fall can cause chest injuries such as broken ribs, collapsed lungs, and fractured sternum, often from seat belt pressure or impact.
- Crush injuries: Vehicle roofs can collapse during a rollover accident, resulting in the crushing of limbs and body parts and often requiring surgical intervention.
- Burn Injuries: Rollover accidents can result in vehicle fires, leading to burn injuries that require specialized medical treatment and long-term care.
- Amputations: Severe rollover accidents can result in traumatic amputations or limb injuries to passengers in the vehicle that require surgical amputations due to irreparable damage.
- Psychological Trauma: Rollover survivors may experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological issues due to the traumatic nature of the accident.
- Joint Dislocations: Rollover accidents can result in joint dislocations, especially within the shoulders and hips, due to sudden and powerful impacts.
- Nerve Damage: Nerve wounds can happen during rollovers, leading to deadness, shivering, and loss of sensation or function in affected areas.
- Vision and Hearing Disability: Rollover mishaps can cause head wounds that result in transitory or lasting vision and hearing disability.
Prevention and Vehicle Safety Measures
Want to learn more about prevention measures? Check out many of The Ward Law Group's posts, where we always emphasize that prevention will make our community a safer place.
This time we have been able to gather the most important aspects to take into account to prevent these types of fatalities in the city of Queens. Let's review them together:
- Speed limit compliance: Obeying the speed limit reduces the risk of losing control during sudden turns or maneuvers, thereby reducing the risk of overturning.
- Avoid overloading: Avoid overloading or carrying excessive passengers, as this increases the vehicle's center of gravity and is prone to tipping over. The weight limits regarding the number of passengers inside of the car will depend on the different types of vehicles.
- Safe Spin Practices: Slowing down before turning, especially when cornering, and avoiding sharp turns can cause loss of control.
- Regular Tire Maintenance: Proper tire inflation and regular checks help maintain traction, reducing the risk of tire blowouts that can trigger rollovers.
- Maintain a Safe Following Distance: Keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead to allow time to react and avoid abrupt maneuvers.
- Use Seatbelts: Seatbelts keep occupants securely in place, preventing ejection during a rollover and reducing injury severity.
- Choose a vehicle with stability control: Look for a vehicle with electronic stability control (ESC), which helps prevent loss of control and rollovers.
- Avoid distracted driving: Concentrate on the road, as distracted driving can lead to sudden maneuvers and increase the risk of a rollover.
- Understand vehicle dynamics: Know the characteristics of the vehicle, for example, SUVs have a high center of gravity and adjust handling accordingly.
- Attend Defensive Driving Courses: Defensive driving courses offer valuable skills to handle challenging road situations and minimize rollover risk.
Community Outreach and Support in Queens
We have seen that many of the measures to be taken involve individual actions, but as we have suggested before in other posts, these types of problems must also be addressed communally.
The proximity of Queens to major public organizations in the world that are based in New York, such as the United Nations, makes it easy for citizens of this community to access the online training program promoted by the United Nations through its UNITAR institute, a program called UNITAR: Road Safe Initiative.
For example, there is a module taught by UNITAR called: "Autosobriety Training Programme." The Autosobriety Preparing Program consists of educational tools that contribute to reducing and anticipating alcohol-related activity fatalities and injuries and eventually support UN Global Road Safety Performance Target 9Target 9: By 2030, divide the number of street activity injuries and fatalities related to drivers utilizing alcohol.
Also, you could take the UNITAR platform and the module: “Management Practices for Safer Roads Toolkit.” This Toolkit is an interactive e-learning tool that presents a management methodology that can help improve road safety by Collecting data on the number and location of deaths by road user type, identifying hazardous and critical road locations and sections where excessive numbers or severity of crashes occur; outlining corrective measures and implementing interventions and monitoring results.
We recommend accessing this type of very valuable educational initiative and thus be more aware drivers that we contribute to the development of the community.
Do not lose much valuable time; contact the Ward Law Group now and receive a free case evaluation from one of our experts!
We will be in touch to receive you in our offices and take your case through the most efficient legal channel. We know that at the end of the process, you will smile with those who love you, and things will go back to the way they were before.
A fatal incident does not have to be something insurmountable. If there is life, there is still hope. Trust the experts to make this situation a more bearable event.