Rollover accidents can be terrifying. They can also inflict serious, potentially life-threatening injuries. After a vehicle rollover accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, don’t hesitate to explore your legal rights with an experienced advocate at Singleton Schreiber. You may have the right to seek compensation for your injuries. Our top-rated Albuquerque car accident lawyers can help you fight for a maximum recovery.
Singleton Schreiber offers trustworthy, passionate, effective legal representation to Albuquerque crash victims and families. As nationally recognized trial attorneys with decades of collective experience, we’ve helped our clients win over $2.5 billion in financial awards.
Don’t let the person who caused your rollover or their insurance company stand between you and the compensation you deserve. Force the best results by trusting our award-winning New Mexico trial attorneys to fight for you. Call our Albuquerque law office to schedule a free consultation now.
What Causes a Vehicle Rollover?
According to federal crash data published by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), vehicle rollovers only account for about 3 percent of all traffic accidents nationally. However, they’re also among the most catastrophic. 20 percent of all fatal car accidents are classified as rollovers.
Rollovers can involve any type of car, but are most prevalent in SUVs, light trucks, and other vehicles with high centers of gravity. It’s easier for these vehicles to lose balance and tip over.
What can cause a vehicle to lose balance and roll?
Some of the most commonly cited causes include:
“Tripping” On a Road Defect
Many rollovers are classified as “tripped’ rollovers because an external force causes a vehicle to lose balance and rollover. Most often, this happens when a vehicle’s tire hits a defect or object in the road surface - like a pothole, a rock, or a curb. When the tire trips on the defect, it changes the vehicle’s velocity and direction. This change in force can be enough to cause the car to flip onto its side or roof, or to roll over entirely.
Sharp Turns at High Speeds
A driver may cause their vehicle to roll if they make a sharp or sudden turn at high speeds.
This can happen when a driver:
- Swerves to avoid hitting a pedestrian in the road
- Doesn’t slow down before making a right-hand or left-hand turn at an intersection
- Makes an unsafe U-Turn
The sharper the turn, the greater the lateral forces applied to the vehicle. When the force exceeds the vehicle’s tire’s ability to maintain friction with the road, the vehicle is more likely to roll over.
Why Are Rollover Car Accidents Dangerous?
The front and rear of a vehicle are designed to protect occupants in an accident. However, when a vehicle is involved in a rollover, the sides and top of the car take the brunt of the impact. While airbags and seatbelts can absorb some of the impact and restrain passengers in their seats during a rollover, they can only offer so much protection in these types of serious wrecks.
Passengers are most likely to be catastrophically injured or killed in rollovers when they’re unrestrained. In fact, most single-vehicle rollover fatalities involve unrestrained motorists. According to the NHTSA, 63 percent of people killed in vehicle rollers aren’t wearing seatbelts. Many of these passengers are ejected during the rollover, which causes them to sustain life-ending injuries.
Who’s Liable For a Rollover Accident in Albuquerque?
In New Mexico, liability for a rollover accident extends to anyone whose negligence or wrongful actions directly or indirectly contribute to the collision.
Depending on the specific circumstances of your rollover crash, this might include:
- The driver of the vehicle that rolled over
- The manufacturer of a defective vehicle or vehicle component
- A negligent third-party motorist
- A negligent party’s employer
- A government agency responsible for road design and maintenance
- A property owner
Our Albuquerque personal injury attorneys will conduct a thorough investigation of your rollover accident to determine how it happened and, in turn, identify who’s at fault. Once liability is clear, we’ll devise a legal strategy to hold them accountable for the full extent of your rollover accident injuries, costs, and suffering.
What Compensation Can I Recover After a Rollover Crash?
Rollover accidents can cause serious physical injuries, including broken bones, nerve damage, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and even wrongful death. As a victim, you shouldn’t be expected to struggle with these life-changing injuries on your own - especially when someone else’s negligence caused your rollover.
Fortunately, New Mexico gives you the right to seek compensatory damages from an insurance company or another liable party.
Compensatory damages can include money for:
- Current medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
- Nursing care
- Chronic physical pain
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Reduced quality of life
- Disfigurement
- Inconvenience
Don’t be surprised when the person who caused your rollover or their insurance company attempts to downplay your injuries or minimize your damages. They might even try to blame you for causing the rollover crash, too. Our New Mexico car accident attorneys in Albuquerque won’t let these tactics won’t let these tactics dictate the terms of your personal injury settlement.
We’ll work hard to prove your losses, establish liability, and force the defense to make you a settlement offer that accurately represents what your rollover accident case is worth.
Rollover Victims in Albuquerque, NM, Trust Singleton Schreiber
After a rollover car accident in Albuquerque, NM, you’ll have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit for damages. Don’t hesitate to contact Singleton Schreiber’s award-winning legal team for help putting your claim into action.
Our Albuquerque car accident attorneys are award-winning litigators who’ve dedicated their careers to helping crash victims get back on their feet after life-changing wrecks. As local lawyers with national resources, we’ve recovered over $2.5 Billion in damages for clients like you.
We offer a free consultation, so call our Albuquerque, NM, law office to schedule a time to discuss your rollover car accident case with our team today.
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