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Hurt in Houston- Rollovers and Blowouts
Some types of auto accidents cause more severe injuries than others. Rollovers are one of the most dangerous types of car crashes. They account for around 3% of all accidents but almost 30% of all fatalities. Even if they are not fatal, rollover injuries can be severe.
What Is a Rollover?
A rollover is a crash where the vehicle’s roof touches the ground. Your car may roll over onto its roof and stop, or it may roll multiple times. Rollovers can crush people in the car or throw them from the vehicle.
What Type of Injuries Happen During Rollovers?
Rollovers involve a tremendous amount of force and throw people around the car. Even people wearing seatbelts experience substantial forces. It is no wonder that rollover injuries tend to be severe. Here are some of the injuries you might get in a rollover
- Bruises
- Laceration
- Soft tissue injuries
- Broken bones
- Neck injuries
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal injuries
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Truck Accident?
Bruises are almost a given in a rollover accident. Your body experiences extreme forces during those accidents. If you wear a seatbelt, you will probably have deep bruising when it contacts your body. You may also have bruises throughout your body. While bruises can be painful and look bad, they usually heal independently. However, severe bruising can be a sign of other injuries. It can also lead to other problems. A laceration is a fancy name for a cut. You will probably get cuts and scrapes in a rollover accident. Medical care will depend on the severity and number of the cuts.
Broken bones are common in rollover injuries. Your arms, legs, feet, and hands are especially vulnerable. So are your ribs.
Soft tissue includes muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia. In an accident, you may pull or strain muscles, tendons, or ligaments. You can also injure your fascia, or it may develop adhesions during your healing process.
Objects flying around the car can result in internal injuries. So can the extreme forces in a rollover. Internal injuries can be obvious or hidden. Getting medical care after a rollover injury is vital, even if you feel fine.
Spinal cord injuries are some of the scariest injuries in rollover crashes. They can be temporary or permanent. Spinal cord injuries can result in complete or partial paralysis, paraplegia, and quadriplegia. Even if you have a less severe spinal cord injury, it can impact your quality of life.
Neck injuries can include whiplash or disc injuries. Your discs can be
Neck injuries can be recurrent, leading to lifelong neck problems. They can also cause headaches and lead to other injuries as your body compensates for them.
Head injuries can include things like skull fractures, concussions, and contusions. They come with a risk of brain injuries, including traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries can severely alter function; their effects range from inconvenience to coma.
Which Vehicles Roll in an Accident?
You may have heard that some vehicles are more likely to roll over in accidents than others. That is true. SUVs, full-size vans, pickup trucks, and commercial trucks all have narrow and tall body shapes. That makes them more likely to roll over in an accident. Short, wide vehicles are less likely to roll. However, any vehicle can roll in a crash.
Avoiding Rollover Injuries
Even for high-risk vehicles, the risk of rollover is small. You can make it even smaller by following some safety steps. Do not overload your vehicle. Too much weight increases your rollover risk. It also means more things flying around in an accident. When you are carrying cargo, secure it.
If you can upgrade to a vehicle with newer safety features, you are less likely to wreck and more likely to survive a crash.
Avoid speeding.
Do not drive while intoxicated. Most rollovers occur during drunk or impaired driving wrecks.
Finally, always wear your seatbelt. Almost 75% of rollover fatalities happen to people not wearing safety belts. Plus, passengers ejected from a vehicle are more likely to die or sustain severe injuries.
After a Rollover
Rollovers can lead to severe injuries, so it is essential to get help after a rollover accident.
- Call 911
- Get immediate medical attention
- Ride in an ambulance to the hospital
If you have postponed medical treatment, get it now
Usually, we advise people to get photos and driver information after an accident. In a rollover, you may not physically be able to get that information. Instead, you may have to rely upon police reports and photographs. Fortunately, police document rollovers more thoroughly than other accidents.
Tire Blowouts
Tire blowouts are a common type of Houston car accident. Hot temperatures contribute to blowouts, and we are hot most of the year. May through October are the worst month for blowouts.
Other things that contribute to blowouts include
- Treadwear
- Improperly loaded vehicles
- Underinflation
- Faulty retreads
- Treat separation
- Driving on a spare
- Driving on tires with “dry rot”
- Hitting a pothole or other bump at a high speed
Blowouts Are Dangerous
Blowouts are dangerous. They can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. They can lead to collisions with other vehicles. They also create road debris, which can cause other accidents.
What to do if You Have a Blowout
If you experience a blowout, it is crucial to stay calm. Instead of slamming on your brakes, you want to slow your vehicle naturally. In a manual, you can downshift your transmission. In an automatic, remove your foot from the accelerator. Once you slow down, you can try to steer your car out of the roadway.
Who Is Liable for a Blowout?
Because blowouts have different causes, determining liability can be difficult. There are four main options
- Driver
- Manufacturer
- Retailer
- Installer
Drivers are liable when their negligence contributed to the blowout. If you were driving a car with bald, underinflated tires, you might be responsible for the wreck.
Manufacturers might be responsible for blowouts if the tire is defective. These cases are more challenging to prove. It helps if there is a history of a particular type of tire experiencing more blowouts than usual.
Retailers who knowingly sell unsafe tires may also be liable. Many people purchase used tires. If a retailer sells you a dangerous used tire, they could be responsible.
Installers can make mistakes during installation that leave your tire vulnerable. They should also see flaws during installation and not install damaged or weakened tires.
Who Gets Injured in a Blowout?
Like other car accidents, a blowout accident can injure many people. In fact, because drivers often lose control of the vehicle in a blowout, there can be multiple injuries. Some people who may be hurt include
- Driver
- Passengers
- Other drivers
- Bystanders
- Pedestrians
- Cyclists
What Happens if the Driver Is Responsible?
If the driver is responsible, a blowout claim proceeds like another car accident claim. The driver can make a first-person claim against their insurance company for damages. Other people injured in the accident can make third-person claims against the driver’s insurance company.
What Happens if the Driver Is Not Responsible?
If the manufacturer, retailer, or installer is responsible, then the claim should be against them, not against the driver. When that happens, the driver has a first-party claim. Other injured parties have third-party claims.
How Do I Know if the Driver Is Responsible?
That is a great question. You should have some information about your tires if you are the driver.
- How new are the tires?
- Did you notice any problems?
- Did the inspector say anything about the tires at your last inspection?
- Were you speeding?
- Did you hit anything before the blowout?
- Were your tires properly inflated?
If your tires were in good shape, adequately inflated, and within their lifetime miles, you should not have had a blowout under usual driving conditions.
In those circumstances, we urge you to contact an attorney. At The Salazar Law Firm, we offer free, no-obligation consultations. We will ask you questions about your accident and give our opinion about whether a faulty product is responsible.
Contact The Salazar Law Firm
If you were hurt in a rollover or a blowout accident, you might have injuries that need medical care. Before settling your claim with an insurance company, you must know your rights. Contact us for a no-obligation claim evaluation.