Vehicle Roof Crush & Roof Caving Injuries

Roof Crush is a Major Cause of Rollover Deaths and Injuries

When roofs crush in a rollover, the survival space for occupants is greatly limited or eliminated altogether, so that the heads and spines of occupants contact the roof. In addition, roof crush can open ejection portals-- making windows and the windshield area very large and leading to ejection of occupants, which is frequently fatal. Based on their years of crash investigations, it is estimated that as many as one-half of seriously injured ejected occupants could have received their initial injuries as a consequence of roof crush.

Key Points on Rollover/ Roof Crush Risks:

• The major sources of the most serious rollover injuries are 1) roof intrusion -- causing severe head and neck injuries, and 2) full and partial ejection, primarily through broken side windows.
• Even belted occupants suffer partial ejection of their arms and heads, while unbelted occupants can be completely ejected.
• The new NHTSA standard addresses neither of these major causes of injury to far side occupants, and would leave even belted near side occupants exposed to risks from ejection.

The auto industry has tried to obscure the engineering principles which would have emphasized maintaining survival space by arguing in court and to NHTSA that occupants "dive" into the roof. This ignores the obvious fact that if the seat structures and safety belts held occupants in place during a roll, and if the roof was strong enough to withstand the weight of the car, the head and spine of occupants would be safe. In addition, safety engineer and attorney Don Slavik has shown through accident investigations that injuries among occupants directly correlate with the location of roof intrusion in the vehicle. That is to say, where there is roof crush, occupants are injured, and where someone is uninjured, there is little-or-no roof crush.

According to federal statistics, approximately 7,000 people each year are killed or severely injured in vehicle accidents in which the roof crushes or caves in. Detroit's top automakers, armed with political muscle and reams of research, have fought costly upgrades to a 33-year-old roof-strength standard, even while their own European operations build and test stronger roofs. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. essentially drafted the regulation as it stands.

In 1971, the automakers led an industry wide effort to convince federal officials to adopt a minimum standard for roof strength, but only after their vehicle fleets failed the government's first proposed test, according to internal corporate documents examined by The Detroit News. "It's been known for quite some time that this is a standard that needs updating," the NHTSA Chief told The News.

Juries in Texas, California and Nebraska have repeatedly rejected Big Three-backed studies that deny a link between crushed roofs and injuries. Safety groups have stepped up their campaign for a new roof-strength standard with new verdicts that have come in, including a $225 million verdict against Ford in a roof crush case.

The NHTSA is looking hard at recent crash data to establish a direct relationship between collapsing roofs and catastrophic injuries. In filings with NHTSA, GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler contend there is no need for new standards. NHTSA publishes safety ratings based on frontal and side-impact crash tests, but consumers don't know how their vehicle's roof will react until it literally occurs.

"Some manufacturers take weight out to reduce their strength-to-weight ratios down closer to the minimum," said a senior engineer of the firm Safety Analysis and Forensic Engineering, which advises plaintiffs in lawsuits against automakers. European manufacturers, including GM's Saab and Opel units, employ high-strength steel to improve the strength of roofs.

If you believe that you have been injured in a rollover or roof collapse related accident you should click here for a free case assessment.

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