Although rollover accidents are not the most common type of accident, they do result in the highest number of fatalities. This is a result of poorly designed and constructed roofs, which crush during the rollover. Roof crush is responsible for serious and fatal injuries such as brain and spinal damage.
Roof crush is most common in SUVs, trucks and vans, which have a higher center of gravity, leaving them vulnerable for rollover during low-speed collisions, emergency evasive maneuvers and sudden tire failure.
Why roof crush results in injuries
Roof crush results in limited headroom inside the vehicle, which substantially increases the likelihood of a head injury. Strong roof supports and/or roll bars are necessary in order for a roof to maintain its shape during a rollover accident. This will help to prevent the roof from collapsing onto the passengers.
In order for safety features such as airbags and safety belts to work properly, intrusion into the vehicle needs to be limited. When the roof intrudes into the vehicles, the safety features will not be able to fully protect the occupants from injury.
During roof crush, the windshield and side windows become weak and break under the pressure. The open windows allow for occupants to be ejected during the rollover, causing serious and fatal injuries.
Roof crush injuries
Roof crush results in severe injuries to passengers inside the vehicle and passengers ejected from the vehicle. Such injuries are:
- Severe head and brain trauma
- Injury to the spinal cord
- Back and neck injury
- Paralysis (quadriplegia and paraplegia)
Injuries such as these could be easily prevented through proper roof design and construction. With proper roofs, rollover accidents could be easily survivable. This can be done by adding support to roof pillars through high-density foam or honey combed cardboard.
Contacting an attorney
If you or a loved one has been severely or fatally injured due to poor roof design and construction that resulted in a crushed roof, contact our experienced crashworthiness attorneys for a free consultation.
