California Injury Blog
San Diego Chevy Tahoe Rollover Accident
Two people were injured in a California SUV rollover crash north of Lakeside the morning of April 8, 2009, 10news reports. The rollover accident occurred on southbound Highway 67 near Slaughterhouse Canyon Road, California Highway Patrol officials said. The driver of the Tahoe apparently lost control of the SUV, which overturned and rolled 50 to 60 feet down an embankment along the highway. Rescue crews freed two people who were trapped inside the Chevy Tahoe. The sport utility vehicle was smashed and the roof of the vehicle was completely crushed and caved in. CHP traffic investigators are looking into what caused this rollover crash.
The nature of the injuries suffered by the two people is not exactly known. I hope they did not suffer major injuries in this rollover accident. I wish these SUV roof crush victims the very best for a quick and complete recovery.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 10,698 rollover fatalities in the United States in 2006. That accounts for 35 percent of vehicle occupants killed in traffic accidents, according to government statistics compiled by consumer rights group, Public Citizen. That was up from 9,379 rollover deaths in 1996, which then accounted for 29 percent of all vehicle-occupant fatalities.
Sport utility vehicles are more prone to tipping over even at slow speeds because of their narrow track width and high center of gravity. What makes these SUV rollover crashes catastrophic is the fact that car manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors fail to make their roofs stronger. Federal roof strength standards have not been updated in more than 35 years. Many SUV models, including the Chevy Tahoe, have weak roofs that cave in crushing the vehicle’s occupants and causing serious brain and spinal cord injuries. Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys has represented several victims who have become paralyzed and have been left with lifelong disabilities because of these catastrophic rollover crashes.
The victims of this Chevy Tahoe rollover accident would be well-advised to contact a reputed California car defect attorney that has a consistent and successful track record of winning against large auto makers such as Ford and GM. These are car makers who have the technology and the resources to make their products safer, but deliberately refuse to do so because they want to boost profits. Car safety, apparently, is not a top priority for them.