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Getting into a traffic collision is never an easy experience, but with advancements in vehicle design and the proliferation of safety devices like seatbelts and airbags, it is much less deadly these days than it used to be. Unfortunately, one type of wreck that is virtually always dangerous is a rollover, whether it involves just tipping onto its side, rolling onto its roof, or flipping multiple times in a row at high speed.
Rollover car accidents in Philadelphia can be challenging to build effective personal injury claims around since they so often involve just one vehicle. Fortunately, you have support from experienced auto accident attorneys who know how to handle cases like yours and maximize civil recovery.
Where Do Rollover Car Crashes Typically Occur?
Statistically speaking, rollover car crashes are most likely to happen on rural two-lane roads with no physical barriers separating the lanes and drainage ditches—or some other type of drop-off—on either side of the pavement. In urban areas like Philadelphia, rollovers more commonly happen on interstate highways and at intersections, and in both scenarios, there tends to be more than one vehicle directly involved in the wreck.
On highways, someone who fails to signal properly and check their blind spots before merging may wind up colliding with another car’s front or back corner, potentially causing both vehicles to spin out and flip if their wheels catch on something during a skid. In intersections, a driver who runs a red light—especially while speeding or drunk—may T-bone another car hard enough to flip it over without skidding. Either way, the resulting wreck may serve as valid grounds for a civil lawsuit which a capable car accident attorney could help pursue.
How Limited Tort Insurance May Affect Recovery Options
Even if someone else is 100 percent at fault for causing a rollover car crash in Philadelphia, a person injured in the accident may still be limited in their right to file suit, depending on what type of auto insurance they have. More specifically, if they have what is known as a limited tort policy, they may only be able to sue another driver for damages not already covered by insurance if they sustained a severe injury from the crash or if they meet one of a few other legal or policy-specific exceptions.
Fortunately, other drivers are not the only people who could potentially hold civil liability for a rollover wreck. Depending on the circumstances, it may also or alternatively be possible to file suit against a mechanic who failed to keep a vehicle in good working order, a manufacturer who made and sold a car that was especially likely to roll over during an accident, or even a local government body for failing to fix a pothole or some other hazard that contributed to causing a rollover.
A Philadelphia Attorney Can Help You Take Action Over a Rollover Car Accident
Of course, none of the scenarios mentioned above involve the most common obstacle to civil recovery after a rollover car accident in Philadelphia: comparative fault. In both single-car and multi-car rollover wrecks, insurance companies are generally quick to blame injured people for causing their accidents through their negligent driving. If a court agrees with that interpretation of events, it may lead to a severe reduction in available compensation or the case being dismissed altogether.
Support from a qualified lawyer can be vital to overcoming this and all other roadblocks on your road to recovery after an unexpected rollover. Call today to schedule a consultation with a tenacious lawyer at Lowenthal & Abrams.
