Accident on SR 193 Occurs When Vehicle Leaves Road
A rollover accident in Placerville on March 15 resulted in an injury. The accident occurred along State Route 193 at the intersection with Chili Bar Court at around 1:12 p.m., as reported by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). According to the incident report, a Honda Pilot went off the roadway and rolled, ending up on its side. A minor injury was reported in the crash. It is under investigation by the CHP to determine how the accident happened.
Accidents Involving Rollovers
Rollovers cause about 35 percent of all traffic fatalities, despite accounting for less than 4 percent of all crashes. This highlights the danger involved when a vehicle overturns. In general, such as SUVs, pickups, and vans with a high center of gravity are more likely to flip over than any other type of vehicle. Vehicles that rollover more frequently are SUVs (57 percent), pickups (47 percent), and vans (30 percent). However, passenger vehicles only rollover 23 percent of the time.
Other Risks That Can Lead to a Rollover
The gap between left and right tires can also indicate a narrow width, along with a high center of gravity in SUVs and pickups. This increases the risk of a rollover. Furthermore, trucks and SUVs are often driven on unpaved or rural roads, which is an additional risk factor. Wearing your seat belt is the best protection if a rollover occurs because it helps prevent ejection from the vehicle and holds you in place.
Not All Rollover Accidents Are Caused by Driver Error
The most common cause of rollovers is driver error. Distracted driving, inattention to signs, poor cargo placement and oversteering are just a few examples. However, rollovers can also occur for other reasons. Among them are:
- Speeding: Speeding is a major cause of rollover accidents with 40 percent of fatal rollovers caused by exceeding the speed limit or traveling faster than road conditions allow. If a vehicle is traveling at high speed when taking a curve, a rollover is likely. The driver may not be entirely to blame for this. Overgrown vegetation sometimes obscures signs telling drivers to slow down or road maintenance personnel do not use signage telling drivers to do so. When this occurs, the driver has the right to file a claim against the government agency.
- If a government agency fails to perform adequate maintenance on public roads, it can result in a rollover accident. Again, a claim can be filed against that government entity. However, the timeline for filing is shorter than for other personal injuries, and a lawyer can help with these claims. The claim has to be filed within six months of the injury. The entity has 45 days to answer. If the answer is no, the injured person has six months to sue. If no answer is received, the injured person has two years to file a lawsuit.
- Some rollovers occur because of equipment failure. This would include defective tires, brakes, steering equipment, and others. An auto products liability lawsuit can be filed against the manufacturer if this happens. Under California products liability law, negligence does not have to be shown, only that the item was used as intended and was unaltered.
- Defective roofs: Roof crush has the potential to cause serious injury in a rollover. Automobile manufacturers must ensure that the roof structure is capable of supporting up to 3.5 times the vehicle’s weight, but not all vehicles meet the requirement. Rollovers can cause the roof of the automobile to cave in on the driver and passengers, causing them to suffer injuries and reducing their survivability space. Keeping the vehicle will enable our engineers to evaluate the car for this problem and other defects.
Placerville Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Placerville car accident lawyer. When your single-vehicle accident was caused by an auto defect or roadway negligence, we can tell you whether you can place a claim to recover compensation. Contact our injury lawyers for free and friendly advice at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400. An online contact form is available also.
We’re proud members of:
Check the following links to find out how our injury lawyers have assisted others:
Photo attribution: Image by Valter Cirillo from Pixabay
:cd llo [729]