Driver Dies In Single-Vehicle Rollover Crash
On the night of June 10, a single-vehicle crash on FM 476 near Somerset in Atascosa County cost a young man his life when his car rolled and wound up in a ditch near the side of the road. While there was no indication at the time that alcohol or other substances were involved, investigators did not rule it out, but either way, single-vehicle crashes, especially of the rollover variety, are commonly deadly even without substances in the equation.
Multiple Causes for Crashes
Rollover accidents of all types are far and away the most dangerous type of car crash. Only around 2 percent of all auto accidents in the most recent available data set are rollovers, but those accidents accounted for approximately 35 percent of all crash fatalities. If one examines the statistics on the fatalities themselves, one can also see that single-vehicle rollovers are far more deadly than multiple-vehicle accidents of the same type; the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports fatality rates for occupants in single-vehicle rollovers at an average of 31 percent of all crash deaths, while the percentage for vehicle occupants in multiple-vehicle rollovers is only 2 percent.
There are multiple possible reasons for such high fatality rates in both single-vehicle and rollover crashes in general. Speed is a major cause; because rollover accidents so often occur due to a loss of control, traveling at a high rate of speed can make a loss of control that much more ruinous. Another common factor in rollover accidents, especially single-vehicle rollovers, is driver behavior. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly how, but if one examines the statistics, one can see that as many as 85 percent of all rollover crashes are single-vehicle, which necessarily rules out certain other factors and leaves driver behavior as a more plausible culprit.
Multiple Defendants Are Possible
If you or someone you love are unlucky enough to be involved in a rollover accident, you may be able to bring suit against one or more defendants to try and seek compensation for your injuries. Even if your accident was a single-vehicle crash, there may still be one or more parties whose negligence contributed in some way to your accident, even if they might not have pushed you or your loved one off the road.
For example, one of the most common defendants to try and sue in such a case is the manufacturer of your automobile or some part of that automobile – Texas does recognize a cause of action for product liability, though it can be difficult to prove negligence in such cases because the law holds a plaintiff must be able to show that a part was inherently defective and that a viable and workable alternative existed. Another viable defendant may be a driver on the road who may not have been involved in the accident itself, but who took some sort of action that caused you to react in a way you might not have otherwise. Every case will be different.
Contact an Experienced Rollover Crash Attorney
While it appears that the Atascosa County crash was simply an unfortunate accident, any other rollover accident might have more people at fault than just the driver. If you or a loved one has been in such an accident, calling an attorney is a good idea, and the skilled New Braunfels rollover crash lawyers at the Bettersworth Law Firm are happy to sit down and try to help you decide how best to handle the aftermath.
Sources:
https://www.ksat.com/news/man-dies-in-rollover-crash-in-atascosa-county
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.82.htm
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/passenger-vehicles
https://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle-Shoppers/Rollover/Causes
