A rollover accident in Pennsylvania when a vehicle rolls over onto either its side or its roof. Oftentimes, there can be multiple rolls. Rollover accidents are extremely serious and can result in significant injury or death in some cases.
If you have been injured after your car flipped, a Western PA rollover accident lawyer could help. With the assistance of a car accident attorney, you could recover compensation for your financial damages and hold the negligent driver accountable.
Common fact patterns surrounding rollover accident scenarios include excessive speed and obstacles in the roadway. Failure to yield in an intersection may also lead to a rollover. Sometimes, a side collision will cause a car to spin, which could quickly lead to the car flipping onto its side or roof.
Rollover accidents are different from any other type of accident because there are multiple instances for the driver or passenger to be injured. They can impact the side, the roof, and then back down into their seat, and glass and debris may be thrown around the vehicle. The fact that the vehicle is rolling over adds an extra element and has an extra degree of potential injury for passengers and drivers.
The most important thing to do to prevent a rollover accident is to be a defensive driver. Motorists should always be on the lookout for the roadway conditions, traffic signals, traffic signs, other drivers, and their surroundings at all time.
These types of accidents sometimes cannot be prevented but to the extent that an individual is able to take precautions and be aware of their surrounds, they can minimize the risk for this type of collision.
Some examples of when a person might not be able to prevent themselves from becoming involved in a rollover accident include the actions of another driver, such as intoxication, an obstacle that creates a danger on the road, flat tires, or some sort of emergency that occurs with respect to how the vehicle is functioning or driving on the roadway.
To document a rollover accident, a person should take pictures as soon as possible after an accident. In addition, the police will likely take their own pictures and measurements of the roadway and send out an accident reconstruction team.
A person should call an attorney to reconstruct the cause of the accident, look at the physical evidence, and make sure that all of the evidence is preserved. Anything that is collected by the police or any first responder should be preserved so that the lawyer can document the rollover accident at a later date.
If you have been seriously hurt in a rollover accident, a personal injury attorney could be beneficial. If the injured party has elected limited tort, the attorney can help the injured party find an exception to the limited tort prohibition on pursuing pain and suffering damages.
An attorney can also assess the situation and see if punitive damages are available in this type of case and then collect the evidence that can support the punitive damages claim. If it is an impaired driving case, then certainly the blood alcohol content and the medical records of the defendant driver are going to be pivotal to that kind of claim.
Marcus & Mack
