Occupant Ejection

Injury Caused by Rollover

It's a known fact that passengers and drivers are much more likely to be severely injured or killed if they are ejected from their vehicles during an accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that passengers that are partly or fully thrown from their vehicles are three times more likely to die than those who remain inside the vehicle during an auto accident. They are also more likely to suffer injuries such as paralysis, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, internal bleeding and amputations due to the likelihood of slamming against objects on impact.

Sometimes, the probability of being thrown from a vehicle is unnecessarily increased because of vehicle part defects. Take seatbelts for example. The NHTSA names seatbelt use as the best way to prevent passengers from being thrown from a vehicle during an accident. But, sometimes these safety belts are defective and you don't end up having the adequate protection you thought you did.

Door latch failures are another type of defect that can have devastating outcomes. When a door bursts open without warning, your chances of being thrust out of the vehicle increase; as do your risk of serious injury and death.

Since rollover accidents violently turn occupants upside down, and thrust them about, they are also a leading cause of vehicle ejection accidents. Statistics reveal that half of all deaths in rollover accidents are the result of being aggressively thrown from a vehicle. Sadly, these types of crashes stem from poor auto design and various defects. The possibility of a rollover accident increases in many faulty SUVs, pick-up trucks and 15-passenger vans, because the center of gravity is higher and the heavier cargo makes these vehicles much harder to handle.

Rollover accidents are the fastest growing source of fatalities in automobile accidents, yet the popularity of SUVs continues to soar. Approximately 25 percent of new cars sold in the United States are SUVs. Many drivers purchase SUVs with the wrong impression that they are safer than in smaller vehicles. But statistics prove opposite. It's true that SUVs are generally safer when hit from the front or sides, they are far more likely to roll. In addition, SUV manufacturers have been slow at addressing rollover problems in ways that will effective reduce the risk for passengers.

If you or a loved one has been seriously hurt or killed after being ejected from vehicle during a rollover accident, contact our law firm today. We can answer questions and help you claim what is rightfully yours.