Road conditions and visibility aren’t the best, but you aren’t having too much trouble. You know you’re a good driver, your car is in decent shape, and you’ve driven the section of the highway hundreds of times before. You might be going a bit too fast or have taken your hand off the wheel for a second to adjust the temperature when your wheels slide into a slippery patch on the road. The next thing you know, you’ve spun 180 degrees and are now on the shoulder. In a flash, the car you passed a few miles back hits the same spot, only head on. Just like that, you watch the other car flip over and land on its roof, then its side. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen outside of an action film, and you can’t help but wonder, “What if that had been me?”
When a vehicle actually turns over onto its roof or side, it’s visually one of the most dramatic ways a vehicle can get into trouble on the road. To see a car or truck flip like that is terrifyingly intense. It’s scary because it’s deadly. In fact, rollovers are some of the most dangerous types of wrecks, and they have the highest fatality rate. More than 10,000 people are killed each year in rollover accidents. Taller, narrower vehicles such as SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks are more at risk of this type of car accident because they tend to have a higher center of gravity. The majority of rollovers that involve only one vehicle are the result of sliding sideways and overcorrecting upon hitting a curb, guardrail, or soft shoulder.
If it had been you who rolled over, the best solution would be to get to a hospital — fast. Most rollover crash victims receive multiple, serious injuries affecting the head, neck, thorax, abdomen, arms and legs — injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, broken bones, amputations, chronic back pain, cuts, and bruises. Injuries are often dependent on the speed of the crash, at what angle the car slammed into the other vehicle or obstacle in the road, whether there was loose cargo, and whether there was any shattered glass or torn metal. Injuries sustained in a rollover commonly impair critical functions, such as vision, memory, hearing, and speech.
On the off-chance you walk away from a rollover seemingly unharmed, remember that many internal injuries may not be obvious at first. If you wait to seek medical attention, it not only can make your condition worse, it can compromise your case. It’s always best to be checked out by a medical professional whenever you are involved in a vehicle accident.
If you or someone you know has been in a rollover wreck, or if you have any questions about this topic, you can find out more by discussing it with one of the KY emergency car accident attorneys at the Johnson Law Firm. We have years of experience helping people and we can help you. Our knowledgeable legal team will work closely with you every step of the way and will fight hard to get you the compensation you deserve. Based in Pikeville, KY, we proudly serve communities throughout the Bluegrass State. Contact us by calling 606-437-4488 or filling out our online form.
Attorney Billy Johnson
William “Billy” Johnson grew up in the Dorton area of Pike County, Kentucky, and early on decided to stay in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. Like many others in Eastern Kentucky, Billy’s dad worked as a coal miner, a hard job but one that taught his son how to meet challenges head on and persevere. Attorney Billy Johnson has years of experience helping injured clients with claims such as car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, wrongful deaths, work injuries, and more. [ Attorney Bio ]
