Rollovers

Rollover Accidents: Oakland Accident Attorney on these Terrifying and Complex Events

August 12, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

Every car accident is frightening, but rollover accidents are certainly among the most terrifying. As an Oakland car accident lawyer with twenty years’ experience representing the injured and grieving, Attorney Gregory Brod understands the myriad of emotions experienced in the wake of an accident. Attorney Brod also understands the particular complexity of rollover accidents and, along with his team, he can help victims recover critical compensation from other drivers, car manufacturers, and others whose negligence had terrible consequences.

Rollover Injures Three in Brentwood

According to the East Bay Times, a pickup truck travelling on Marsh Creek Road near the Clayton-Brentwood border was involved in a rollover accident on Monday. The accident occurred shortly before 5 P.M. Three people were transported to John Muir Medical Center for medical treatment. Police say at least one person suffered major injuries in the crash. As of this writing, the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Focus on Safety: The NTSB’s Most Wanted List 2016

May 13, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

Every year, the National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”) releases what it calls its “Most Wanted List.” This list represents the NTSB’s top advocacy priorities for the year, improvements to safety that the NTSB believes can make the biggest difference in preventing transportation accidents and saving lives. Our San Francisco injury law firm shares the NTSB’s commitment to transportation safety and, while we advocate for injury victims in California every day, we know that prevention is always the best goal.

The following items are on the NTSB’s 2016 Most Wanted List:

Reduce Fatigue-Related Accidents: It is impossible to know exactly how many car accidents are due to drowsy driving, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes anywhere from 2% to 20% of yearly traffic fatalities are due to drowsy drivers. The problem also extends to other areas of the transportation field and the NTSB identified fatigue as a probable cause in 20% of the Board’s 182 major investigations between 2001 and 2012.

San Francisco Cargo Spill Lawyer on the Danger of Big-Rig Spills

February 26, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

In our modern world, sometimes it seems like we do everything online. However, there are some industries that simply can’t be outsourced or fully digitized such as the transportation of cargo from one place to another. Cargo trucks are an important, often under-recognized, part of our economy. However, cargo spills remain a very real problem and our San Francisco trucking accident lawyer stands ready to help people injured when transportation of cargo goes terribly wrong.

Richmond Truck Accident Buries Cars in Gravel

On Tuesday, according to a report on SFGate.com, a driver somehow lost control of a big-rig sending it careening down a hill in the Richmond District of San Francisco. After sliding, the truck hit a group of parked cars and toppled onto its side, burying at least two vehicles in the truck’s load of gravel.

Santa Rosa Injury Lawyer Examines Rollover Accidents

September 9, 2015 | Gregory J. Brod

All car crashes are frightening, but rollovers are particularly terrifying. Rollovers are particularly violent and particularly deadly. They leave occupants feeling particularly helpless, a feeling that often persists long after the event itself. When a rollover crash is caused by someone’s negligent or wrongful actions and it results in death or injury of another, our Santa Rosa rollover crash attorney is prepared to file a wrongful death or personal injury claim on behalf of the injured and/or surviving relatives. These claims seek to hold the at-fault party accountable and provide much needed compensation to those impacted by the terrifying event.

Rollover Accident Claims Life in Lake County

The Press Democrat reports that a 35 year-old woman died in a Lake County rollover crash on Sunday. CHP investigators say the woman was a passenger in a 1996 Honda Accord that was travelling south on Highway 39 near the Hill Road undercrossing when the vehicle started to drift towards the dirt median. Apparently, the driver overcorrected and lost control of the vehicle which proceeded to skid across the southbound lanes before hitting a curb and dirt embankment. The force of the impact caused the Accord to roll and slide off the road, landing on its roof on the adjoining frontage road.

ATV Accidents: Statistics, Safety, and Legal Representation

February 27, 2015 | Gregory J. Brod

While cars are responsible for a strong majority of vehicle-related accidents, they are not the only culprit in the fatal or injury-causing accidents we see in our Northern California injury practice. All-terrain vehicle accidents (“ATVs” or “ATV accidents”), can cause serious injury or even death. When someone other than the injured is at fault, our Sonoma County ATV accident lawyer can help the injured victim or surviving family members obtain financial compensation from those responsible.

ATV Overturns, Seriously Injuring Petaluma Teen The Press Democrat reported on an ATV accident that occurred in Petaluma on Saturday and left a teenager seriously injured. Three teens were riding an ATV on private property when the vehicle overturned and rolled over onto one of the passengers, leaving him with a severely broken arm, a broken vertebra in his neck, and a severed artery. An uninjured rider called 911 and used his own shirt to staunch his long-time friend’s bleeding. The injured teen underwent emergency surgery and is expected to make a strong recovery.

ATV Accident Statistics In April 2014, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) released its 2012 Annual Report of ATV-Related Deaths and Injuries. Through the end of 2012, the CPSC had received 12,391 reports of ATV-related fatalities between 1982 and 2012, including 353 in 2012 and 554 in 2011. Notably, accident numbers for the years 2009 to 2012 are expected to increase as reporting is finalized; in 2008, the last year for which reporting is deemed complete, there were 755 ATV deaths. Of the 12,391 reported deaths in the study period, 24% involved victims aged less than 16 years. CPSC statistics also show an estimated 107,900 ATV-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency rooms in 2012, with 25% involving children under 16.

Serving Victims of Rollover Crashes Throughout Northern California

June 25, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

Car accidents are often frightening, but rollovers are downright terrifying. Disrupting one’s sense of equilibrium can be exhilarating and fun (for the right people!) when on a roller coaster, but the same feeling is petrifying on the highway. Rollovers epitomize the lack of control driver’s experience in almost any accident. They are among the most dangerous and most deadly vehicle accidents and our Bay Area accident attorney is committed to helping the victims and ensuring their rights are protected.

Two Recent Accidents in Vallejo Show the Threat of Rollover Accidents

The Times Herald reports that an accident on Sonoma Boulevard in North Vallejo sent three people to the hospital on Monday morning. Witnesses say a Nissan pick-up truck was heading north on Broadway when it ran a traffic light, struck a curb, and passed through a Chevron station and the McDonald’s parking lot. Before rolling over and coming to a stop driver’s side down in the drive-thru lane, the truck hit two cars, one of which struck a third vehicle. Two of the other drivers reported pain and were taken to the hospital. The truck driver was hospitalized for possible seizures, which may have sparked the chain of events. An investigation is underway.

Statistics and Law in Northern California Ejection Accidents

July 15, 2013 | Gregory J. Brod

One of the first and most important parts of working with a new client in our injury law firm is listening to the client’s story. We recognize that this can be difficult and that telling the story often means reliving some of the most terrifying moments in the individual’s life. In other cases, telling the story means relating (and imagining) the final moments of a loved one’s life. Some of the scariest car accident stories we hear involve crashes where one or more of a vehicle’s occupants is ejected from the automobile. Ejection accidents are always serious and often fatal. Our San Francisco ejection accident law firm is committed to representing the victims of these crashes. This includes helping our client win money for the pain and suffering caused by these terrifying collisions whether the client is the injured victim or a loved one imagining the final moments of a deceased relative.

Vacaville Accident Leaves One Dead, One Seriously Injured

In the early morning hours of Saturday July 13, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, an accident claimed a life in Vacaville, a city is located on I-80 between Sacramento and San Francisco. According to Officer James Evans of the California Highway Patrol, the accident occurred shortly before 5 A.M. at the intersection of Foothill Drive and Pleasants Valley Road. Responding officers found an overturned 1994 Chevy Camaro with one person trapped inside and another partially ejected from the vehicles. Evans noted that one victim was pronounced dead at the scene while the other, he did not know which, was transported to UC Davis Medical Center with major injuries.

Large Passenger Vans Raise Liability Concerns for Trip Organizers

February 24, 2012 | Gregory J. Brod

The U.S. Department of Transportation is urging owners of 15 passenger vans to exercise extra care in the maintenance and driving of their vehicles. Organizations like student groups, tour groups, and companies that provide transportation to commuters and the elderly may use 15 passenger vans to carry groups of people from one place to another. 15 passenger vans may not be used by schools or day care providers because of their inherent dangers.

Such organizations should take the Department of Transportation’s recommendations in earnest, as van rollovers are more common than car rollovers and result in more fatalities. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis found that in 2002 38% of 15 passenger vans crashes involved a rollover.

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a brochure on van safety, which reminds van operators to regularly check large passenger vans for common trouble areas. One main cause of van crashes is improper maintenance of tires. Inexperienced drivers may not be aware of the difference between standard tires and tires made for vans, which could lead to improper inflation and dangerous driving conditions. Tires on a typical sedan require about 30psi of air pressure on all four tires. However, vans require about 50 psi on the front wheels and 80 psi on the back wheels. Large van tires wear out more quickly than tires on other types of passenger vehicles because they are carrying a heavier load.

Oakland-San Francisco Attorney Comments on Overturned Vehicles

June 24, 2011 | Gregory J. Brod

Yesterday a crash at 19th and Valencia Street in the Mission District in San Francisco sent one person to the hospital with minor injuries. The crash occurred at 7:15 a.m. and involved three vehicles, according to sfexaminer.com. One car actually overturned, trapping the driver inside. The driver was taken to San Francisco General Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. The other two drivers were not hurt. Today a big-rig overturned on an off-ramp from southbound U.S. Highway 101 in San Francisco, also according to sfexaminer.com. The big-rig overturned at around 9:40 a.m. on the eastbound Cesar Chavez Street off-ramp from southbound Highway 101. No other vehicles were involved, and the driver of the overturned 16-wheeler was not injured.

Many accidents are caused because vehicles are driven in unsafe ways or in unsuitable conditions. In general if vehicle is overloaded and drives to fast around a corner, then it will more than likely overturn. A driver who does not wear a seatbelt and overturns in an accident is more likely to suffer an injury than drivers who do. In order to avoid overturning, drivers should remember to follow the speed limit and with caution on wet, slippery roads, when driving down steep slopes, or when approaching curbs and sharp turns. Also, drivers should make sure the loads they carry are appropriate for their vehicle, as overloaded or unevenly distributed loads can make a vehicle unstable, making it difficult to steer and brake.

Relatively speaking, it can be common for a serious accident to result in a vehicle overturning. When a vehicle overturns, it can cause serious injuries, such as head trauma, brain injury, neck and spinal injuries, and broken bones. Even vehicles driving at low speeds can experience a rollover and incur serious damage to both the vehicle and driver. Sometimes the drivers are at fault and sometimes the vehicle manufacturer is responsible. If you or a loved suffered an injuries due to a rollover accident, please contact our experienced rollover accident attorney today.

Oakland-San Francisco Rolloever Attorney Comments on Interstate 80 Rollover Accident

April 19, 2011 | Gregory J. Brod

A 48-year-old Oakland man driving to Reno with his family was killed when he crashed and rolled over on eastbound interstate highway 80 in Albany yesterday morning, according to SFGate.com. The man was driving a white Ford Explorer when he suddenly veered to the left, overcorrected, and then lost control. The SUV rolled multiple times before coming to rest. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, while his wife had a broken leg and his children, ages 10 and 12, suffered minor to moderate injuries. The wife was on the phone of the time of the crash. She was talking to family members who were also heading up to Reno. The family members told the CHP that the line went dead and when they called back, there was no answer. When they did get through after a few minutes, they heard sirens and commotion. The CHP are not sure if he was distracted at the time of the crash. They did say, however, there was no indication that alcohol was a factor.

This story brings up an important and forgotten fact about SUV’s: they are not vehicles built for safety. What is more, people die just as often in SUV’s as they do in cars, and people who drive SUV’s are more likely to die in a rollover than someone in a car. The simple truth is that the biggest SUV’s doesn’t make you safer than if you were in a large car or minivan. SUV’s make people feel they are in control and in charge, but that is just an illusion. Even though many more safety features are being built into vehicles today, many can’t afford them. Perhaps some of the newer models are safer, but it is hard to know for sure, as we still don’t see car companies making SUV’s safe in all foreseeable types of crashes, especially rollovers. Here at the Brod Law Firm, we believe the real and only way for a consumer to stay safe is to be an informed consumer. If you or a loved one suffered an injury in a rollover crash, contact our firm for a free consultation. We have over 10 years experience representing clients involved in violent SUV rollovers and can help you receive the compensation you deserve.