When you are faced with the aftermath of a vehicle rollover accident, working closely with an attorney who will explain your rights and options can help you make decisions that are in your best interests. Contact our firm today to schedule a consultation and case evaluation with an experienced personal injury attorney.
Learn More About Vehicle Rollovers
If you have been injured in a vehicle rollover accident, we can help you seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and other hardships. At Elliott & Smith, P.A., we have 50 years of combined legal experience in handling car and truck accident claims for people throughout Arkansas.
To learn more about vehicle rollover accidents, please review the general information below and visit our car accidents page. To schedule a free initial consultation with one of our car accident lawyers, contact us online or by phone at 479-JUSTICE (587-8423) today.
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At Elliott & Smith, P.A., we handle vehicle rollover injury suits on behalf of plaintiffs in the state of Arkansas. With 50 years of combined legal experience handling complex car and truck accident cases, our attorneys are fully equipped to seek maximum compensation for your injuries and financial suffering.
At Elliott & Smith, P.A., we help people from Fayetteville, and throughout Arkansas with car and truck rollover suits. We focus solely on personal injury claims and are fully equipped to seek full and fair compensation for the hardships you are facing.
The Concept of Crashworthiness
Crashworthiness is an important factor in many vehicle rollover cases. No matter what caused the car crash to happen, the vehicle should protect its occupants to a reasonable degree during the crash. This is called crashworthiness. It is an accepted principle that vehicle manufacturers should design cars, SUVs, trucks and vans to protect the occupants against unreasonable injury; this does not mean, however, that manufacturers have to protect occupants against every injury in every situation. To find out whether you have a legal claim against an auto manufacturer, speak with an experienced attorney from Elliott & Smith, P.A. in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Second Collision
The impact that causes a vehicle to crash — or the event that triggers a rollover — is the first collision. But it is the second collision that relates to crashworthiness. The second collision happens when the occupant is thrown against the inside of the vehicle or an object outside the vehicle.
If the vehicle manufacturer failed to minimize the dangers of the second collision, the vehicle may have been defectively designed or manufactured. Vehicle rollovers in particular present this issue when the roof of the vehicle becomes crushed or the seat belt fails to restrain the passenger.
It is not a surprise that an occupant of a vehicle should receive some injuries during a serious car accident. It is not reasonable, however, for the occupant to sustain very serious injuries during the crash due to a vehicle design that did not incorporate feasible safety features to prevent or lessen foreseeable injuries.
Enhanced Injuries
Enhanced injuries are the injuries that the occupants sustained because the vehicle was not crashworthy. These are the injuries caused by the second collision. When a manufacturer's defective design caused the enhanced injuries, the manufacturer may be liable for damages.
Enhanced injuries may be more serious than those resulting from the first collision. While what should be a minor fender bender could cause a sore back, a vehicle rollover with a crushed roof could cause severe injuries including broken bones, head injuries and spinal injuries. If the vehicle is designed to prevent such enhanced injuries, however, the vehicle occupants may walk away from the accident.
In order to prove that a vehicle was defectively designed and not crashworthy, the plaintiff need not show that the manufacturer was negligent. Instead, the plaintiff has to prove that the vehicle did not have a design that was reasonably safe in case of an accident.
Seek Help
If you were seriously injured in a vehicle rollover accident, or if your loved one was injured or killed in such an accident, an attorney can help you sort out your legal options. The laws on second collisions vary from state to state. Contact a lawyer from Elliott & Smith, P.A. in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for advice on how to proceed in your particular situation.
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