California Injury Blog
A woman suffered life-threatening injuries in a San Bernardino County rollover accident after she was ejected from an SUV. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the fatal rollover wreck occurred the morning of August 2, 2012 along the 10 Freeway’s westbound lanes at the Mountain Avenue onramp. Officials say a white Ford Explorer flipped, ejecting the victim. The woman was transported to an area hospital with critical injuries. An investigation is ongoing.
My thoughts and prayers are with the injured victim of this car crash. I wish her the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Rollover Crash Statistics
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2008, the most recent year for which these statistics are available, 58 percent of SUV occupants who were killed in crashes were in vehicles that rolled over. In comparison, 47 percent of deaths in pickups and 25 percent of deaths in cars were in rollover accidents.
What Caused This Fatal Rollover?
Based on this news report, it appears that the Ford Explorer SUV rolled over ejecting the victim. There are several unanswered questions here. Was there an auto defect or mechanical malfunction in the Ford Explorer, which may have caused or contributed to the incident? Was there a design flaw in the Explorer, which may have made it prone to a rollover? Why was the victim ejected from the SUV? Was she wearing her seatbelt or was she ejected as the result of a defective seatbelt? I trust officials are looking into these and other issues in order to determine precisely what occurred and why.
Liability Issues
It is critical in these cases to preserve the vehicle unaltered so that an expert can examine it for evidence of product defects, malfunctions and design flaws. If the accident was caused by vehicle defects or inherent design flaws, the automaker or the manufacturer of the defective product can be held liable. Victims or their families would be well advised to contact an experienced auto products liability lawyer who has experience successfully handling Ford SUV rollover cases. The best personal injury law firms will always offer a free consultation and comprehensive case evaluation to injured victims and their families.