Rollover Crashes on Texas Roads
Texas roads can be dangerous, especially when someone is driving at a high rate of speed. If enough speed and recklessness are present, crashes do happen, and sometimes, they can even be severe enough to cause a vehicle to roll over completely. Rollover accidents are among the most deadly that happen on U.S. roads in any state, and if your rollover crash was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be able to bring suit against that person to recover for your medical bills.
Statistics and Causes
Rollover crashes account for a disproportionate amount of all traffic fatalities simply because there is usually a disproportionate amount of metal and glass being thrown around, with a person or people inside the vehicle having little chance to escape. This is further compounded by not wearing a seatbelt or other restraint – the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that in the most recent available data, only around 2 percent of all accidents were of the rollover type, but nearly 35 percent of all traffic deaths were rollover accident-related. Roughly 70 percent of those deaths were not wearing a seatbelt.
Most rollover crashes occur when tires hit a surface like soil or the guardrail and ‘trip,’ or flip upward, due to their center of gravity. However, there are several different types of reasons why rollovers occur in the first place. Statistics show, for example, that many more rollover accidents are speed-related than non-rollovers. Rollover crashes are also more common on weekends and in the night hours (between 6 PM and 6 AM, generally).
Requirements Are Clear
If you have managed to survive a rollover accident, your injuries will no doubt be incredibly severe. Anything from cuts and bruises to traumatic brain injuries may have occurred during a rollover crash, and you will need time and money to be able to get fully back on your feet after this type of life event. If you were harmed due to the negligence of another person – for example, another driver who had forced your car off the road – you should be able to file a lawsuit against them to potentially recover costs like medical bills, lost wages, and lost quality of life.
You must be able to show that the defendant owed a duty to exercise reasonable care toward the plaintiff (or to a class of people that the plaintiff belonged to) – for example, every motorist must exercise reasonable care toward every other motorist on the road. You must then show that the defendant failed to exercise that care, and because of that – with no other intervening cause – you were injured. Some people worry that they will not be able to recover if they might have contributed to their own injuries, but Texas law allows you to recover if you are ruled less than 50 percent responsible.
Call a New Braunfels Rollover Accident Attorney
Because rollover accidents can cause so much devastation to you and your loved ones, it can feel overwhelming trying to get justice if the accident was not your fault. Contacting a skilled New Braunfels rollover accident lawyer at the Bettersworth Law Firm is a good first step toward recovering your costs and getting the closure you and your family need in order to move on. Call us today at 888-392-0039 to schedule a free consultation.
Source:
https://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle-Shoppers/Rollover/Fatalities
