Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
Four people were injured after they were ejected from their car in a rollover crash on Southern Boulevard and Haverhill in Suburban West Palm Beach. According to News Channel 5, the four were taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center. Two children sustained traumatic injuries.
According to Captain Borroto, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesman, the accident happened just after 5:30 p.m.
Our West Palm Beach car accident lawyers understand that rollover accidents are more prominent among SUVs, minivans and trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that there are close to 300,000 rollover accidents reported each and every year. These accidents take the lives of about 10,000 annually. Rollover accidents are directly related to a vehicle’s stability in turns. That stability is influenced by the relationship between the center of gravity and the track width (distance between the left and right wheels).
Characteristics of Rollover Accidents:
-Roughly 70 percent of the people killed in rollover accidents were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. A little less than two-thirds of them were ejected from the vehicle.
-Most fatal rollover accidents are single-vehicle crashes.
-Positive BAC’s are oftentimes associated with these accidents, especially with the single-vehicle accidents.
-Rollover accidents are more likely to be deadly than any other kind of accident.
-Rollover accidents account for about a fifth of all fatal accidents recorded year after year.
-The number of fatal light truck rollover crashes is increasing, particularly among SUVs and vans.
-Drivers involved in rollover accidents tend to be males, under the age of 40, driving on two-way roads with no dividing barriers.
-Speed was a common factor in these accidents. Most of these rollover accidents happened on roadways with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or greater.
Did you know that you’re 75 percent less likely to die in a rollover accident if you’re wearing a seat belt?
“Seat belt use has an even greater effect on reducing the deadliness of rollover crashes than on other crashes because so many victims of rollover crashes die as a result of being partially or completely thrown from the vehicle,” says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Safety Tips to Help Avoid a Rollover Accident:
-Drive a vehicle with a low center of gravity and a stable base.
-Whenever taking a turn, make sure you slow down.
-Be aware of the road and weather conditions and adjust your driving to accommodate these conditions.
-Keep an eye on the air pressure in your tires. Make sure they’re full and balanced.
-Make sure you keep plenty of distance between you and other vehicles. You want to give yourself and other drivers enough room to react to any potential dangers without getting in their way.
-Never drink and drive. Intoxication makes even the most cautious driver more erratic. Swerving between lanes and making sharp, unplanned turns can lead to a deadly rollover accident.
If you or someone you love was injured in an accident, contact Freeman Injury Law at 1-800-561-7777 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.
More Blog Entries:
Child Passenger Safety Week to Protect Our Youngest Motorists, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, September 26, 2013
Fatal Tractor-Trailer in Lake Worth a Reminder of the Risks, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, September 22, 2013