Any time a vehicle rolls, the risk of serious injuries—or even death—is exceptionally high. Rolls can lead to spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), crush injuries, and more. Plus, rolling vehicles have a higher risk of fire, which can lead to burn injuries, as well.
Big rigs and other large commercial vehicles have a high risk of rollovers because they have a higher center of gravity than most other vehicles on the road. Even hitting a curb at the wrong angle can lead to rollover truck accidents in Merrillville. The risk elevates when drivers engage in negligent or irresponsible behavior like speeding.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a rollover truck accident, you may be entitled to a substantial recovery. In addition to recovering the costs of medical care and lost wages, damages can include intangible costs like pain and suffering. A skilled semi-truck accident attorney at The Law Offices of David W. Holub could help you explore your potential remedies.
Understanding Rollover Accidents
Evolving safety standards have helped make rollovers rarer than they once were. Unfortunately, large commercial vehicles and trucks still have higher centers of gravity, which puts them at a much higher risk of rollover accidents than passenger vehicles. Trucker training programs and education focus on safe driving practices, specifically on reducing or eliminating the risk of rollovers.
When people picture a rollover accident, they may think of a truck tumbling over and over. However, a rollover accident does not require a full rotation. It includes any time that a truck loses its grip on the ground and lands on its roof or sides.
There are three types of rollover accidents: tripped, untripped, or impact accidents.
Tripped Accidents
A tripping accident happens when something on the surface of the road causes one of the tires to lose contact with the ground. Trucks can trip on curbs, poorly maintained roads, uneven ground, debris in the road, and more. Under some circumstances, a third party might be liable for damages from Merrillville rollover truck accidents if they were responsible for the tripping.
Untripped Accidents
Untripped rollover accidents do not happen because of an external issue like a car wreck or the truck hitting an object or defect. Instead, they are almost always due to trucker error. The trucker does something like speed or takes a sharp turn, which shifts the balance of weight in the vehicle and leads to a rollover. Shifting cargo can also lead to a rollover accident, and a third-party loading company may be responsible for those scenarios.
Impact Accidents
An impact rollover begins with a wreck, and the force from the wreck leads to the truck losing contact with the ground and starts the roll. Truck wrecks can happen between vehicles or with a stationary object.
A seasoned legal professional in Merrillville could help victims of rollover truck accidents understand their legal options and pursue compensation for their injuries.
Who Is Responsible for Rollover Accidents
Usually, the trucker is responsible for a rollover truck accident. While wrecks caused by other people can lead to a truck rolling over, those incidents are relatively rare. Instead, rollovers from tripping or non-tripping incidents are more likely to be to blame. Trucker negligence contributes to those wrecks under most circumstances.
Merrillville rollover truck wrecks are likely to involve multiple vehicles. When a truck starts to roll over, it may hit other vehicles, sending them crashing into others. These secondary accidents may be due to driver error or the trucker’s negligence. Rollovers can lead to lost cargo, which also increases the risk of wrecks as other drivers try to avoid it on the road. Untangling these threads can make it more challenging to determine who is to blame.
Indiana recognizes shared liability and specifically codifies it at Indiana Code § 34-51-2-5. It also recognizes the concept of comparative fault—as long as a person is less than 50 percent responsible for an accident, they can recover from the other responsible parties.
In addition to driver negligence, some other factors can contribute to the risk of rollovers. One of them is the failure to maintain the vehicle properly. For owner-operators, improper maintenance does not shift liability. However, for truckers driving a vehicle that they do not own, it can shift at least a portion of liability to the truck’s owner or the party responsible for vehicle maintenance.
Talk to an Attorney About Rollover Truck Accidents in Merrillville
Determining who is at fault in rollover truck accidents in Merrillville can be challenging. The attorneys at our firm could help you determine fault and gather the evidence to prove it. Schedule a consultation with The Law Offices of David W. Holub to find out more.