Although any vehicle is at risk of rolling over, both Consumer Reports and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)have concluded that tall, narrow vehicles are more prone to this occurrence because they are more top-heavy and have a higher center of gravity. This means that SUVs are more susceptible to tumbling than other cars, a fact that makes many owners of these cars nervous, particularly because these conclusions come from highly credible sources.
If you have been seriously injured in an SUV rollover, in addition to requiring first-rate medical attention, you need a highly reliable, experienced personal injury attorney with a track record of successful outcomes. If you are located in the great New York or surrounding counties, the law firm you are seeking is Scaffidi & Associates.
What Scaffidi & Associates Can Do for You
If, because of the negligence of another driver or a car manufacturer, you have been temporarily or permanently disabled in an SUV rollover, or if you have tragically lost a loved one in this kind of accident, get in touch with Scaffidi & Associates as soon as possible.
Whether you were a passenger in an SUV that rolled over for which the driver was to blame, or were the driver whose SUV rolled over due to its unbalanced construction, Scaffidi & Associates can assist you in filing a lawsuit against the negligent party. We have the legal prowess to protect you and your family from being taken advantage of and we will never charge you a fee until we win your case.
Contact us as soon as you can so we can investigate your SUV rollover accident before the site is cleared, evidence is destroyed, or witnesses can no longer recall details. You can depend on us to do a thorough investigation of all aspects of the accident and your injuries and if necessary to bring in medical or mechanical experts or experts in accident reconstruction to support our claim.
Types of Injuries Suffered in SUV Rollovers
Although many people survive rollover accidents, more than a third of all deaths from passenger vehicle crashes are the result of rollovers. Even those who survive may suffer severe, even catastrophic, injuries as a result, such as:
- Loss of limb
- Loss of sight or hearing)
- Disfigurement (e.g. scarring)
- Neuromuscular damage
- Traumatic brain injury
- Internal bleeding
- Damage to internal organs
- Spinal cord injury
Scaffidi & Associates attorneys have extensive experience with all types of personal injury cases, including SUV rollovers, and we have a history of winning our clients millions of dollars in damages. We are dedicated to protecting you and your family by seeing to it that you obtain the compensation you deserve.
What Damages Can We Win?
Our attorneys are savvy negotiators, often able to have the negligent party’s insurance company agree to a fair settlement without ever going to court. You never have to worry, however, that our SUV rollover attorneys will allow you to be short-changed. If negotiations break down, we are fully prepared to file a lawsuit against the responsible party on your behalf.
We will file a claim to obtain both economic and non-economic compensatory damages. Economic damages are compensation for money you have already paid, will have to pay in the future, or have lost as a result of the accident. These include medical expenses, property damage, rehabilitation, and lost present and future income. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, include intangibles that are much more difficult to assign monetary value, like pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
In some cases, such as when the defendant was intentionally reckless or malicious, we may also be able to win you punitive damages. These are awarded when the court wants to punish the defendant and to discourage others from behaving in a similarly abysmal manner.
Factors Affecting SUV Rollovers
Interestingly, although having several passengers in an ordinary car results in greater stability, SUVs are more at risk of rolling over when they are full than when they are relatively empty. Other factors affecting the SUV’s stability are height, suspension system design, width between tires, tire traction, location of the engine mount, and the weight of the sunroof.
The vast majority of SUV rollovers occur on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or higher, almost always either on highways or on rural roads that are poorly lit and have no shoulders or clear lane divisions. This may be interpreted to mean that SUVs, more than other cars, need the added protection of visual or physical lane barriers.
In addition to the factors mentioned above, SUV rollovers may be precipitated by external causes such as bad weather, potholes, obstacles in the road, poor road conditions, sharp curves, or collisions with other vehicles. Like all vehicular accidents, SUV rollovers happen more frequently when the driver is reckless. Too many victims of SUV rollover injuries are passengers in a car in which the driver is:
- Speeding (a factor in 40 percent of fatal rollovers)
- Tailgating
- Frequently changing lanes
- Impaired by alcohol or drugs (a factor in almost 50 percent of fatal rollovers)
- Distracted by electronic devices
- Making sharp, last minute turns
Nonetheless, many rollover accidents are not traceable to bad driving, stormy weather, or poor road conditions. Eighty-five percent of those who are killed in SUV rollovers die in single-vehicle crashes. Though these may result from reckless driving, those killed may be victims of the poor design of the vehicle itself. It is important to note that the vast majority of those killed in rollover accidents were not wearing seatbelts. So no matter what risk of rollovers SUVs carry, buckling up may save (or already have saved) your life.
Pure Comparative Negligence in New York State
In many accidents, including SUV rollovers, more than one party may be at fault. This may be true, for example, if two vehicles collide and one driver is speeding but the other driver is drug-impaired. Depending on the particulars of the case, the court will assign a percentage of fault to each driver. If we are suing the other driver on your behalf and you are found to be, for example, 10 percent at fault for the accident, you can still win damages, but the total amount awarded will be lessened by 10 percent. New York is one of the few states that uses a “pure comparative negligence” standard. This means that you are permitted to file a lawsuit against the other party even if the court rules that you were majorly at fault.
Our SUV Rollover Attorneys Are Always on Your Side
At Scaffidi & Associates we are fully prepared to take over the complicated logistics of dealing with all legal and insurance matters so that you can recover from the physical and emotional trauma you continue to confront. We will use our tough tactical skills and in-depth legal knowledge to win you damages substantial enough to keep you and your loved ones financially secure for the foreseeable future. Give us a call or contact us through our website. You’ll be relieved once you’re taken this important step.