Northern California Accident Attorney Blog

Most of us don't give jumping into our SUVs, pickup trucks, or vans a second thought. As consumers, we trust that the vehicles we drive are safe and free of any defect that could limit crashworthiness or cause an accident. However, certain risks posed by poor vehicle design still present many risks to motorists, vehicle occupants, and others on the road. One of the main dangers posed by taller, narrower vehicles like SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans is their susceptibility to rollover because they have a high center of gravity.

Rollover accidents in San Francisco and throughout California are especially dangerous, often resulting in roof crush, multiple rollovers, vehicle occupant ejection, and catastrophic injury. Rollover crashes are considered to be hazardous incidents with a higher fatality rate than other kinds of collisions.

Since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recognized rollover accidents as one of its highest safety priorities in 2002, specific safety measures have been implemented to help prevent accidents and improve the crashworthiness of vehicles more likely to rollover. However, due to auto manufacturer negligence, distracted driving, speeding, drunk driving, or other forms of reckless behavior, rollover collisions in California still take place.

It may be shocking to learn that on average, rollover accidents account for 33 percent of passenger vehicle fatalities and that over 10,000 people a year die in rollover crashes. When individuals are fortunate enough to survive such a tragic accident as a rollover, which often involves roof crush, they may face significant physical, emotional, and financial challenges.

Individuals who suffer serious injuries, such as lacerations, broken bones, paralysis, or traumatic brain injuries, in rollover accidents caused by another person's negligence may be able to obtain compensation for medical bills, loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages. An SUV San Francisco rollover crash lawyer will work meticulously to ensure that negligent parties are held liable for your injuries and that you can move on with your life.

Continue reading "San Francisco Rollover Accidents: Know the Risks" »

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently announced new crash test results and analysis revealing the life-threatening risks of tractor-trailer underride guard failure in low-speed accidents. In determining that truck underride guards increase the chances of death or serious injury to small passenger vehicle occupants, the Institute has petitioned the federal government to enact stricter underride guards that will withstand a collision. The agency is also requesting that the federal government authorize guards for more large commercial trucks and trailers.

Although rear guards are the main defense against deaths and injuries when passenger vehicles crash into the back of tractor-trailers, these guards are dangerous because the upper part of the passenger vehicle's occupant compartment usually crushes as the truck body strikes the vehicle. According to a Wall Street Journal report on the crash test results, truck underride guards are capable of failing at crash speeds as low as 35 mph. In a rear-end collision where a passenger vehicle hits the back of a large truck, the car's windshield becomes the chief spot of impact. Unfortunately, this means that even some cars with top safety ratings in federal and Insurance Institute accident tests do not provide adequate protection to vehicle occupants.

Considering that in 2009, 70 percent of the 3,163 individuals who were killed in all large truck accidents were occupants of cars or other passenger vehicles, the need for stronger truck underride guard standards cannot be stressed enough.

Vehicle manufacturers have the important duty of designing, creating, and testing vehicles that are free of defects and are capable of keeping occupants safe in a collision, otherwise known as being "crashworthy." There is no denying that individuals who are injured and family members of those killed in auto accidents that were caused due to a lack of vehicle crashworthiness face many challenges. A San Francisco vehicle crashworthiness lawyer can conduct a thorough investigation and help gather and preserve vital evidence relating to the accident so that negligent parties don't walk away unpunished.

Continue reading "Big Rig Underride Guard Failure in Accidents Examined by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety" »