San Francisco Bay Area Head Injury Attorney
As consumer safety groups and the insurance industry have pointed out for years, SUVs are at a greater risk for rollover due to their higher center of gravity link. This higher center affects an SUV’s stability, measured according to the formula t/2h where “t” is the distance from the center of the right front tire to the center of the left front tire, and “h” is an SUV’s center of gravity. If the ratio is over 1.2, a vehicle is more likely to roll over in certain situations. When passengers or cargo enters an SUV, the additional weight is added above the center of gravity. This only increases an SUV’s propensity to roll over in an accident.
Additionally, without a roll bar and additional structural reinforcements, the roofs of most SUVs are incapable of supporting the weight of the vehicle in rollover accidents. As a result, SUV rollovers often result in serious head, neck and back injuries. In fact, although rollovers only account for three percent of all accidents, they account for a third of all fatal accidents, killing roughly 10,000 people a year.
What Happens in Roof Crush SUV Accidents
When an SUV rolls over in an accident, the roof of the vehicle is forced to absorb some of the shock of the impact and weight of the vehicle. In many cases, however, SUVs do not have the proper roof support or frame reinforcement to properly absorb the amount of force and weight involved. As a result, SUV roofs cave in, resulting in serious head, neck and spinal cord injuries. In many cases, a lack of proper roof support results in significant intrusion into the head space of passengers, causing brain damage, fractured necks and significant spinal cord injuries.
The Cost of Catastrophic Head Trauma and Serious Spinal Cord Injuries
The long-term consequences of brain damage and spinal cord injuries create significant needs and costs for injury victims and their families. When considering an award or settlement, costs including future surgery, physical therapy, medical equipment, medication, in-home care, lost wages, and pain and suffering must be taken into account. Here, consulting an experienced medical economist and life care planner is essential in order to accurately project future costs associated with brain injuries, paraplegia or quadriplegia.
Contact San Francisco Head and Neck Injury Attorneys
If you’ve been seriously injured in an SUV accident, contact Bay Area car accident attorneys at Weber & Nierenberg today to schedule an appointment and discuss your case. After evaluating your case, we can begin the investigative process, collecting important evidence and locating eyewitnesses in order to ensure important information is preserved
