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Minneapolis Rollover Accidents

Rollover car accidents usually entail some of the most catastrophic injuries and often result in a totaled vehicle. In the immediate aftermath, you may be unsure about what you should do next to handle the burden of unexpected expenses. Injured Minnesota drivers should be aware of their right to seek compensation in a personal injury lawsuit for their medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

If you have suffered a serious injury or lost a loved one in a Minnesota rollover car accident, time is of the essence when it comes to filing a personal injury claim for damages. The best way to protect your future claim is to get in contact with a qualified Minneapolis rollover car accident lawyer as soon as possible. At Sand Law, our knowledgeable Minnesota car accident attorneys can offer you expert legal guidance and the resources you need to recover maximum compensation. Reach out to our team today to schedule a free case evaluation to discuss your Minneapolis rollover car accident. Call us at (651) 291-7263. Or contact us online.

Minneapolis Rollover Accidents - Sand Law LLC Minnesota Car Accident Personal Injury Attorneys

Rollover Auto Accident Statistics

It’s common knowledge that car accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Rollover car accidents are one of the most dangerous types of car accidents. Data on rollover auto accidents consistently tells the same story. While rollover car accidents are rare, they can too often be deadly.

Consumer Reports describes rollover car accidents as “one of the worst things that can happen to you on the road”. They also note that less than 5% of serious car crashes are considered rollover accidents, but rollover car accidents account for about a third of all fatalities among passenger vehicle occupants involved in auto accidents.

In Minnesota specifically, the Department of Public Safety reports 2,788 rollover car accidents in 2020. These rollover auto accidents constituted nearly 18% of all fatal car accidents in Minnesota that year, and 24% of fatal alcohol-related crashes. Minnesota drivers should be aware of the risks posed by rollover car accidents and reduce dangerous driving behaviors accordingly.

What is a Rollover Car Accident?

A rollover car accident happens when a vehicle is turned over onto its side or even flipped into its roof. In some cases, a vehicle may roll multiple times before coming to a stop, thrashing the occupants around and causing devastating injuries.

Rollover car accidents can be divided into two main categories, which are tripped and untripped. In a tripped rollover car accident, the vehicle in question is knocked off balance when it encounters an obstacle such as a median, guardrail, curb, road hazard, or car. This is compared to an untripped rollover accident, where the vehicle rolls without encountering an obstruction. For example, a semi-truck with a heavy load might tip while rounding a curve.

Certain types of vehicles are at a higher risk for rollover accidents based on their center of gravity, a product of their height and weight. Vehicles like SUVs, vans, and trucks tend to have a higher rollover risk than the average passenger car because when they are knocked off balance, the weight concentrated towards the top of their vehicle acts as a detriment. At that point, it’s difficult to stop the momentum, and the vehicle may tip over onto its side or continue rolling.

Common Causes of Minneapolis Rollover Accidents

Most of the common causes of rollover car accidents are related to reckless driving behaviors and general negligence on the part of the driver.

Drunk Driving is a Common Factor in Minnesota Rollover Car Accidents

When a Minneapolis driver decides to drink and drive, they are endangering the other motorists and road users around them. As referenced earlier, nearly a quarter of the fatal car crashes in Minnesota were rollover accidents in 2020, indicating that alcohol is a frequent catalyst. Alcohol impedes your judgment and driving instincts, reduces motor control, and even inhibits your vision, all of which are critical to safe driving behavior. Drunk motorists may lose control and swerve into medians or curbs, initiating a tripped rollover accident, or speed around a curve and roll down an embankment.

Reckless Maneuvering and Speeding Can Lead to Serious Minnesota Auto Accidents

Minneapolis drivers who make quick turns, speed while traveling on curving or narrow roads like I-35 W, and fail to reduce distractions like texting can cause rollover car accidents. For example, a truck driver who is adjusting their navigating equipment may not recognize that they are coming up on a tight turn and fail to reduce their speed appropriately. When they take the curve too fast, the weight of their vehicle shifts and causes them to tip over.

Poor Vehicle Maintenance Plays a Role in Rollover Car Accidents

Neglecting to care for your vehicle can increase your risk of being involved in a rollover car accident. If you are driving around on damaged or worn-out tires, you have diminished your vehicle’s ability to brake safely, which can be critical when you are trying to slow down to make a sharp turn or account for windy conditions.

Collisions on Minneapolis Roads May Result in Rollover Car Accidents

In some cases, a rollover car accident is initiated when one vehicle collides with another and knocks it off balance enough that it tips over. Typically, a side impact is necessary to cultivate enough momentum to knock a vehicle over. This is especially a concern for top-heavy vehicles.

Injuries Associated With Minneapolis Rollover Accidents

Unfortunately, rollover auto accident injuries have a tendency to cause extensive injuries. Additionally, medical assistance may be delayed as it can be more difficult to safely remove car occupants from the vehicle, which may exacerbate injuries. Injuries in a rollover car accident can take weeks or months to heal, require serious interventions like surgery, and may still result in permanent disability even after treatment.

Examples of Minnesota Car Accident Injuries:

Rollover accidents can be incredibly traumatic for anyone involved. This can result in mental or emotional injuries such as PTSD. Enduring invasive and painful treatment for serious physical injuries can also lead to mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Invisible injuries are just as legitimate as physical injuries, and we encourage you to seek treatment for both as soon as you can after an accident.

If you delay seeking treatment, you can jeopardize your claim with the negligent driver’s insurance company. They will use your delay as evidence that you have exaggerated your injuries or you deliberately allowed them to become more severe in a ploy to falsely inflate the value of your damages.

Who’s Liable in a Minneapolis Rollover Car Accident Lawsuit?

As discussed earlier, when a rollover car accident involves another vehicle, the accident is typically attributable to negligent driver behavior. In cases of poor road maintenance, the local or state agency responsible for upkeep could face negligence accusations.

Minnesota allows drivers to share the blame and still recover damages in a personal injury lawsuit, so even if you are partially at fault for your rollover car accident, don’t give up hope of recovering compensation. According to Minnesota law, an injured party may recuperate a portion of their costs as long as they were less at fault than the other party. Each party is assigned a percentage of the fault, and the driver with the lesser percentage can recover a settlement minus the percentage of fault they contributed.

Proving Liability in a Minnesota Rollover Auto Accident Claim

Your personal injury lawyer will be responsible for ascertaining and establishing liability. They may use police reports, traffic camera footage, photos and videos of the scene, eyewitness testimony, medical records, and other forms of evidence to demonstrate that the other party is to blame for your damages.

Proving liability requires that several criteria be met. First, the defendant must have owed a duty of care to the plaintiff. Their actions must then be shown to have violated that agreement to behave cautiously and responsibly towards the plaintiff. The breach of duty, like speeding or driving while drunk, must then be established as the cause of the accident that resulted in the plaintiff’s injuries. The injuries must be directly related to the rollover car accident. Finally, the damages must be shown to be an extension of the injuries incurred by the plaintiff.

Contact Sand Law Today to Discuss Your Minneapolis Rollover Car Accident Claim

If a Minnesota rollover car accident has left you injured and drowning in debt, you need a personal injury lawyer you can trust to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf. Sand Law has the resources and the reputation to take on powerful insurance companies and walk away with maximum compensation for your damages in a Minneapolis rollover car accident lawsuit.

We offer attentive, result-based service that has made us one of the most successful personal injury law firms in Minnesota. Our team will work relentlessly to get you the compensation you deserve for your medical bills, lost wages, and emotional distress, even if we have to demand it in court.

The car accident attorneys of Sand Law are considered experts in our field. We are prepared to harness that knowledge for your benefit to secure you a fair settlement. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (651) 291-7263. You can also reach out through our online contact form schedule your free case evaluation with our highly-qualified team.