Rollover Accident Lawyers in Trenton NJ

Seasoned Rollover Accident Attorneys Pursue Top Damages for Injuries from Rollover Vehicle Accidents in Mercer County, Burlington County, Middlesex County, and throughout New Jersey

Rollover Accidents, Causes and Injuries in Mercer County, NJ

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), only a very small percentage of car crashes in 2010 – less than 3%  –  were due to rollovers. But rollovers can cause severe injuries because consumer vehicles aren’t designed for them. And the consequences can be severe: Rollover accidents can force the victim to face huge medical bills while at the same time having lost their job due to an event that they had no responsibility for.

If you or a loved one is facing this predicament, you likely will need an excellent New Jersey rollover accident attorney to help you gain the compensation you’ll need to pay those bills plus the costs of living while out of work, therapies for your recovery, other financial losses due to the accident, and damages for the emotional and physical toll that your injuries took on your life and your family. As an accomplished personal injury law firm with over 50 years of dedicated experience, we serve clients in Hamilton, Robbinsville, West Windsor, Trenton, Princeton, Hamilton, Pennington, Titusville, Burlington, Middlesex, Mercer County and throughout NJ. Call Cohen & Riechelson today at (609) 528-2596 to schedule a free initial consultation regarding your rollover vehicle accident case.

Basics of Rollover Accidents in New Jersey

A rollover accident occurs when a vehicle flips onto its side or roof. This can happen to any kind of vehicle, but most of these accidents occur with pickup trucks or SUVs because of their high center of gravity.

Of the 280,000 rollover accidents that occur each year, more than 10,000 people are killed, according to the NHTSA. That’s because occupants are likely to be ejected from the vehicle. The death rate would be substantially lower if people wore seat belts – 69% of the deaths were among people who had no belts on. According to the NHTSA, fatalities in rollover accidents occur most frequently in SUVs (57%), then pickup trucks (at 47%), vans (30%), and passenger cars (23%).

Common Causes of Rollover Accidents

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a rollover may be caused by impact with a vehicle or with a stationary object. A number of rollovers happen when a vehicle leaves the road. However, a large number of vehicles (24%) roll over without having hit anything at all.

A vehicle tends to rollover when it:

  • Turns too sharply for the speed it’s traveling. This is where a higher center of gravity works against a vehicle. Taller, narrow vehicles have higher centers of gravity.
  • Trips over uneven pavement, a curb, or a guardrail
  • Rolls down an embankment
  • Is impacted from the side by another vehicle.

All this said the NHTSA reports that almost 85% of all rollover fatalities happen in crashes of a single vehicle, meaning that no other vehicle was involved. This implies driver error plays a large role:

  • Sleepiness
  • Distraction
  • Intoxication due to alcohol, drugs, medications
  • Rubbernecking—not facing the road ahead
  • Aggressiveness
  • Overreaction / oversteering
  • Lack of experience with driving
  • Cargo improperly loaded
  • Speed: around 40% of rollover crashes cause a fatality involving a vehicle that was exceeding the speed limit.
  • Location: Nearly 75% of rollover crashes that cause a fatality happen on country roads with a speed limit of 55 mph or more.
  • Four-wheel-drive vehicles: This usually happens to males under 25 not wearing a seat belt, on weekends, with alcohol involved.

Other causes of a rollover accident can include:

Common Causes of Rollover Accidents in New Jersey
  • Unsafe conditions such as construction, fallen rocks, and other debris or weather. Poor road conditions may be due to poor maintenance, in which case a government entity may be held responsible.
  • Design failure or equipment flaws: These could possibly be traced to the negligence of the manufacturer, the owner, or a mechanic. Design failure can include:
    • Front and side airbags failing to deploy
    • Seatbelts failing to hold
    • Roof collapsing or simply crushing more than 5 inches (according to IIHS, roof crush is the main factor in death and injury during rollover incidents).
    • Head restraint design flaws
    • Gas tank improperly designed
    • Subpar electronic safety mechanisms
    • Poor quality tires with no “grip”
    • Faulty suspension system or brakes

Serious Injuries Caused by Rollover Accidents

Accidents involving rollovers often result in injuries to the neck, head, and spine, highly vulnerable parts of the body. These types of accidents also cause injuries to every other part of the body—ribs, abdomen and internal organs, and limbs. These injuries can be so severe that they lead to long periods of mental health and physical health problems—or even death.

There can be a number of impacts that affect your life long-term, including:

  • Brain injury. These can be tough to recover from and affect the quality of life deeply, perhaps even preventing you from returning to work.
  • Disability. Injuries that never really heal become disabilities. For example, if ejected from your vehicle, you may have a limb amputated. Catastrophic injuries such as this can affect the quality of your life deeply, perhaps even preventing you from returning to work.
  • Financial Challenges: Due to missed time at work, huge medical bills, therapy bills, and the need to repair or replace your car, you may face big challenges. You may want to file a lawsuit to recover your expenses rather than struggle with these expenses that you incurred in an accident you didn’t cause.

Safety Tips to Prevent Vehicle Rollover Accidents

As always, safety experts advise us to slow down. Other measures to take include:

  • Purchasing or renting vehicles with the most advanced safety systems. You need side-curtain airbags and electronic stability control.
  • Wear a seat belt, so you are not tossed about within the vehicle or ejected. Almost 75% of people who are ejected in whole or in part from their vehicle die.
  • Tires must be inflated to the pressure the manufacturer specified. Check the pressure at least once per month. When you replace your tires, make sure they’re similar to the set originally placed on the vehicle.
  • Be careful not to overload a vehicle. SUVs and pickups lose a lot of stability if they’re overloaded. The worst thing is to put things on the roof of one of these vehicles. Instead, put the heaviest cargo on the floor and as close to the center of the vehicle as you can.
  • Be especially alert on rural roads.
Personal Injury Lawyers Seeking Compensation for Rollover Related Injuries in Mercer County, New Jersey

Establishing Liability for a Rollover Accident in NJ

This is likely a difficult question. Human error is often a factor. But there are others. Even though the NHTSA sets high standards for the safe design of SUVs, pickups, and vans, not all auto manufacturers follow the standards. The accident could also be the fault of a government entity in charge of roads, manufacturers, or other corporations.

Determining who is responsible can be a chaotic, litigious issue. Add into the mix your insurance company, which may add to the stress and confusion. You need an attorney to protect your rights in a situation like this.

Learn How an Accomplished NJ Rollover Accident Law Firm can Help You Seek Top Compensation if Injured in Rollover Car Accident

In spite of exercising caution and adhering to the safety suggestions outlined above, you may have experienced a rollover accident. Should you hire a lawyer?

The biggest reason to do so is that auto insurers will, in all likelihood, lowball you by offering you a settlement that is way below your expense level. Another reason to hire a lawyer is that the legal system is complex, and you will need help to navigate the system.

Also, you may still be recovering from your injuries and don’t have the time, energy, or health to file a lawsuit and strengthen your case. An experienced rollover accident lawyer can do this for you, however, and can help you hold the responsible party to account and help you gain compensation.

Consult the Talented New Jersey Rollover Accident Lawyers at Cohen & Riechelson without Delay

If you or someone you love has experienced a rollover accident and have been injured – or if someone was killed – the personal injury attorneys at Cohen & Riechelson can help you navigate a wrongful death or personal injury case. You will need experienced help steering between claims agents, the courts, insurers, manufacturers, and whoever else is involved in the claim in Lambertville, Woodbridge, Trenton, Ewing, Edison, South Brunswick, Hopewell, and towns in Mercer County, Middlesex County, Burlington County, throughout New Jersey.

Our law firm is standing by and backed with the trusted, proven exceptional experience to help you seek maximum compensation for rollover accident-related injuries. Call us today at (609) 528-2596 or complete the case review request for a free consultation.