rollover accident

Published on: August 12, 2011

Mandatory Stability Control Systems Could Minimize Rollover Truck Accident Risks

Mandatory stability control systems in all tractor-trailers, especially tanker trucks, could help prevent as many as 3,600 rollover accidents every year and save more than 100 lives in these accidents annually.It’s the reason why Atlanta truck accident lawyers have strongly called for such systems in all commercial trucks.The National Transportation Safety Board is calling on a number of federal agencies to work together to implement rollover accident prevention systems for commercial trucks and buses.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s concern over truck rollover accidents comes through in its report into a truck accident in Indianapolis in 2009.The accident which injured five people was ultimately blamed on a tanker truck careening out of control, and flipping over, setting off an explosion.The tanker truck had been loaded with 9,100 gallons of liquefied petroleum gas at the time.

Tanker trucks represent just 6% of the total number of trucks in the country, but account for more than 30% of all fatal truck rollover accidents.Tankers carry liquid cargo, and this cargo may be prone to shifting while in transport.This shift can cause a redistribution of weight, possibly causing the truck to flip over.Tanker trucks very often carry hazardous materials like gasoline, and so, the risks from a rollover accident do not end as soon as the truck flips over.In most of these cases, the hazardous material can leak, posing a serious risk of explosions, fires and toxic exposure.

Published on: January 15, 2011

Automakers Face New Rollover Auto Accident Rule

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been focusing extra hard on rollover safety recently. A new rule that the agency announced this week is also aimed at preventing serious and devastating injuries in rollover auto accidents. The agency this week announced new regulations that would require passenger vehicles to keep occupants inside the vehicle during a rollover.

Under the new regulations, automakers would be required to design safety systems that would prevent passengers from being ejected from the side windows during a rollover.Automakers are likely to use technologies like rollover sensing side airbag systems to prevent passengers from being ejected through the side window during a rollover accident. Some sport utility vehicles already come with these side airbag systems. These airbags deploy immediately during rollover, and then remain open for a period of time, thereby preventing passengers from being ejected outside the window.

The new rule will be phased in during the beginning of 2013. All new vehicles will be required to have the systems by the year 2018.

Published on: August 10, 2010

Truck Rollovers Could Be Prevented with Electronic Stability Control

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Mandatory Electronic Stability Control Systems Would Prevent Truck Rollover Accidents

Electronic stability control systems have been found to significantly reduce the risk of rollover accidents in passenger vehicles.These systems are mandatory on all new passenger vehicles, but have not yet been made mandatory in commercial trucks.According to researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, if electronic stability control systems were made mandatory in all commercial trucks, it would reduce the risk of rollovers, and save approximately 106 lives a year.

Researchers estimate that approximately 3,500 rollover accidents involving commercial trucks could be prevented each year, if all trucks were equipped with stability control systems.These systems could prevent about 4,400 injuries every year.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is waiting for the results of a formal study into the benefits of having electronic stability control systems in all trucks, to make a decision about mandating these in all commercial trucks.

Published on: January 1, 2010

Two Killed in a Ford Rollover Accident in Atlanta

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Ford Explorers are no strangers to controversy, and have been linked to hundreds of incidences of rollovers. In the most recent such rollover accident involving a Ford, two people died in Atlanta when their Ford Explorer suffered a tire blowout and flipped over. There were 6 occupants in the Explorer, and three of them were ejected. Four people were injured in the accident.

The Ford Explorer has been linked to more incidences of rollovers than other SUV’s. Earlier this decade, Ford found itself in the middle of a controversy related to defective Firestone tires that were prone to blowouts, causing the Explorers to roll over. The tire defect involved tread separation which caused the tire to disintegrate, leading to loss of control over the vehicle. While Firestone tires were blamed for these rollover accidents, Atlanta personal injury lawyers also pointed to the design of the Explorer which made it much more likely to flip over in case of a tire blowout at high speeds, compared to other SUV’s.

The Ford Explorer continues to be the center of lawsuits, ending in massive jury awards. This year, Ford was ordered to pay $55 million in punitive damages to a California woman who was left paralyzed when her Explorer rolled over and the roof collapsed on her neck. Her spine was severed from the impact, and she continues to remain paralyzed. Also this year, a woman in Georgia was awarded $40 million in damages by a jury in Lamar County. The woman Jessica Mundy claimed that a transmission defect in her Explorer caused it to suddenly go into reverse when placed in park mode. As a result, the SUV ran over her, causing spinal cord injuries, and leaving her paralyzed.

Published on: December 12, 2009

Stronger Side Airbag Standards Proposed To Save Lives in Rollover Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

NHTSA Proposes Stronger Side Airbag Standards to Save Lives in Rollover Accidents

As Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we have had our complaints about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the slowness with which the agency reacts to urgent safety issues. However, we will also be the first to admit that the agency has done some stellar work recently, especially in the field of rollover crash prevention and minimizing injuries from these crashes.

Earlier this year, the agency announced that it would be requiring automakers to comply with stronger roof strength standards, o prevent the kind of injuries and deaths that result from roof collapses in a rollover. The agency has also been quick to catch on to the importance of devices like Electronic Stability Control technologies that can help prevent rollover crashes. Now, the agency is proposing stronger side airbag standards that will prevent the risk of side window ejections during a rollover. According to the Washington Post, the NHTSA could require automakers to install stronger side airbags that will prevent ejections even if passengers are not wearing seatbelts.

Published on: May 19, 2008

Deadly Rollover Accidents Caused by 15 Passenger Vans

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

When it comes to rollover accidents, the 15-passenger van is the most dangerous vehicle on the road.New research by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that rollover accidents with 15-passenger vans occur thirty-one percent more frequently during the summer months of June through August.Eighty-one percent of fatalities occur in single vehicle rollover accidents.

The risks increase when the vans carry ten or more people.The passenger weight changes the vehicle’s center of gravity, causing it to be in the rear of the vehicle.As a result, the van handles differently than other passenger vehicles during an emergency and is more prone to rollover crashes.

The problem with the van is the weight.Most van manufacturers, such as Ford and Dodge, use a car wheelbase and extend the back end.Also, the vans are top heavy which causes a shift in its center of gravity.The vans usually have a back seat with four passengers behind the rear axle.With a heavy back end, in an accident the back end swings out.When the rear swings out and the tires remain their grip on the road, the weight pulls the vehicle over.