Rollover Accident Attorneys

Being involved in a rollover accident can shake you to your core. Injuries resulting from rollover accidents are often severe and can leave long-lasting mental trauma. In the most tragic cases, victims do not survive rollover accidents, leaving families to mourn an unfair and devastating loss.

If you’ve been hurt in a rollover accident in Chicago, turn to the knowledgeable car accident attorneys of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C., for help. We have decades of experience fighting for car accident victims in Chicago and throughout Illinois. Our team has the skills and the resources to investigate your crash, identify all liable parties, and fight for the full compensation you need to recover.

What to Do After a Rollover Accident

After a rollover accident, victims are often in shock. The initial rush of adrenaline can make it difficult to think clearly about what to do next. If possible, however, take the following steps to ensure that you get the medical treatment you need and protect your legal rights to an injury claim.

Call 911. Call 911 after any car accident. You and others may need immediate medical treatment. The responding law enforcement officers will also document everything about the accident scene in a police report. This report will be important later as evidence for your claim.

Seek medical attention right away. If paramedics offer treatment at the scene, do not refuse, even if you don’t think you are hurt that badly. You may be suffering from shock, a concussion, or internal damages whose symptoms may not appear for hours or even days. Additionally, getting medical treatment right away will ensure your injuries are properly documented. Follow up with your own doctor and follow all your doctor’s instructions.

Get information from others at the scene. Collect information from other accident victims if there was another vehicle involved in the rollover. Get names, phone numbers, insurance company information, and license plate numbers. If there were any witnesses to the accident, get their names and contact information so your attorney can follow up with them later.

Take pictures of the damage and your injuries. Use your cellphone to get photos of damage to your own vehicle and other vehicles, as well as other shots of the scene. Get photos of the curb or guardrail, if one of these elements caused your vehicle to tip over. These could provide clues to investigators later on. Also take photos of your injuries at the scene to help document their severity.

Call the experienced attorneys at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C. You don’t need to deal with this by yourself. An experienced accident lawyer from our firm can investigate the circumstances surrounding your crash and collect evidence that will help form a solid case for compensation.

Rollover Accidents: How Often Do They Occur?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website Safercar.gov, the following are some important statistics you should know about rollover crashes:

40% of rollover accidents involve excessive speeds.
85% of rollover accidents involve a single vehicle.
35% of all deaths from passenger vehicle crashes occur in rollover accidents.
Almost half of all fatal rollover accidents involve alcohol.
Nearly three-fourths of fatal rollover accidents occur in rural areas where the posted speed limit is 55 mph or higher.

Common Causes of Rollovers

Rollover accidents are most common in lighter cars and taller vehicles like sport utility vehicles and vans. They often occur when a vehicle “trips” on a curb, guardrail, or other obstruction, throwing off its center of gravity. They can also occur when a vehicle swerves too sharply into soft soil or snow on the shoulder of the road.

Rollovers can sometimes happen when moving down a steep incline. The driver may misjudge the slope, turn too sharply, and cause the vehicle to turn over. Many areas contain signs warning of increased risk of rollover for large vehicles. A side impact from another vehicle in a crash can also cause a tripped rollover.

Untripped rollovers are much less common but are also dangerous. They often involve a top-heavy vehicle swerving sharply at a high speed to avoid a collision.

Injuries in Rollover Accidents

Rollover accidents often cause devastating injuries. An analysis of the National Automotive Sampling System database found the following distribution of injuries in rollover accidents:

Head and Neck Injuries (60%)
Upper Limbs (47%)
Lower Limbs (34%)
Thorax (23.8%)
Abdomen (15.4%)

Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) ─ These injuries can often occur when the roof is compressed and/or when the victim isn’t wearing a seat belt. Traumatic brain injuries include concussions, skull fractures, and brain swelling and bleeding, which can lead to brain damage.

Neck injuries ─ Whiplash is a common neck injury in a rollover accident, as well as herniated discs and dislocated or fractured vertebrae.

Spinal cord damage ─ Roof compression in a rollover accident is a frequent cause of spinal cord damage among crash victims. This could result in severe and lasting injuries, including partial or total paralysis.

Bone breaks and fractures ─ Rollovers frequently have multiple impact points for those inside the vehicle, and multiple broken bones are a common occurrence.

Lacerations (deep cuts) or internal organ damage ─ The violence and destruction of the vehicle that often accompanies a rollover accident provide many sharp edges that can tear or cut into the skin, and may penetrate internal organs.

Contact Our Rollover Accident Lawyers Now

At Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C., our team is made up of seasoned accident attorneys who will fight fiercely for the full and fair compensation you are owed for your injuries. Your most important job right now is to focus on your recovery and health, and your family’s well-being. Let us handle the rest.

Contact our office today for a free consultation. We can answer all your questions related to your accident and help you determine your next steps.