Heavy Machinery Accidents

Machine guarding accidents can and often cause serious, life-altering injuries such as amputation, paralysis, serious burn injuries, spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). In some cases, unfortunately, such accidents can also be fatal.

Our Personal Injury Lawyers have extensive experience handling cases involving:

• Improperly guarded machines (Failure to put guards, removing guards)
• Lockout/Tag-out Violations
• Lack of two hand buttons or infra-red type stop limiter
• Lack of guardrails or machine guides on presses, saws, conveyor belts and other industrial equipment
• Construction vehicles such as cranes, bulldozers, forklifts and skid loads
• Defective elevator or lift mechanisms
• Faulty electrical wiring

Our Work Injury Attorneys recovered $3,650,000 on behalf of our client who suffered an amputated hand in a 220-volt Horizontal Food Mixer accident which could have been prevented with the appropriate machine guarding or lock-out emergency shut-off-switch required by OSHA.

COMMON INDUSTRIAL INJURIES

Industrial machinery accidents could cause injuries that last a lifetime. Affected workers may suffer permanent scarring, disfigurement, or physical or cognitive disabilities. They may never be able to return to their jobs. They may not survive at all. Common injuries include:

• Traumatic amputations
• Crushed bones
• Head and brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Chemical, electrical, and thermal burns
• Electrocution
• Explosion-related eye or ear injuries
• Severe lacerations
• Wrongful death

AMPUTATION INJURIES

Amputation is one of the most severe types of injuries in the occupational workplace, and often results in permanent disability. An amputation injury impacts your ability to work, and perform daily functions, permanently. You could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential earnings over your lifetime, on top of medical bills and disability expenses. These financial losses combined with the severe pain and emotional suffering of losing a limb, and then you have a personal injury claim. Our personal injury lawyers can help you maximize your financial recovery for an amputation injury.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) find that amputations at work occur most often around unguarded or inadequately safeguarded machines. Conveyors, power presses, printing presses, rolling machines, food mixing machines, food slicers, drill presses, meat-cutting saws, meat grinders, trash compactors, forklifts, and shears could all cause traumatic amputations. Amputations may occur while using, cleaning, adjusting, or maintaining these machines.

WHAT IS MACHINE GUARDING

Machine guards are barriers that protect against hazards from all sources, including access prevention to danger areas. The danger area is the machine’s point of operation area from which the operator must stay clear during the machine’s operation cycle to prevent serious injury.

Many industrial and construction jobs require the use of machines, and some parts of these machines and areas around them may be especially dangerous to operators. Most industrial machines require safety guards, and missing safety guards can easily lead to severe or fatal injuries.

Employee exposure to unguarded or inadequately guarded machines is prevalent in many workplaces. Workers who operate and maintain machinery suffer approximately 18,000 amputations, lacerations, crushing injuries, abrasions, and over 800 deaths per year.

A study released by The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) regarding injuries in the workplace found over 34,000 people sustain a lost-time injury in the workplace annually due to industrial machine accidents. Additionally, the Occupational Safety & Health Association (OSHA) named the lack of machine safeguarding “Top Ten List” of frequently cited employee safety violations of 2019, with 1,743 violations issued.

OSHA regulations For Machine Guarding

While industrial machines play a critical role in the production process and allow employees to work with less effort, they are inherently dangerous. From grinders and drill presses, to milling machines and sanders, industrial machines are designed to operate at high speeds and pressures to cut, shred, bend, punch and crush metal. Without safeguarding in place, any physical contact with a machine’s moving parts can result in severe injuries and possibly death.

OSHA MACHINE GUARDING REGULATIONS
1910.219(a)

One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are--barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc.

1910.219(b)

Flywheels located so that any part is seven (7) feet or less above floor or platform shall be guarded. For flywheels with smooth rims five (5) feet or less in diameter, where the preceding methods cannot be applied, the following may be used: A disk attached to the flywheel in such manner as to cover the spokes of the wheel on the exposed side and present a smooth surface and edge, at the same time providing means for periodic inspection. Cranks and connecting rods, when exposed to contact, shall be guarded.

1910.219(c)

Shafting under bench machines shall be enclosed by a stationary casing, or by a trough at sides and top or sides and bottom, as location requires. The sides of the trough shall come within at least six (6) inches of the underside of table, or if shafting is located near floor within six (6) inches of floor. In every case the sides of trough shall extend at least two (2) inches beyond the shafting or protuberance.
Vertical and inclined shafting seven (7) feet or less from floor or working platform, excepting maintenance runways, shall be enclosed with a stationary casing.

1910.219(d)

Pulleys, any parts of which are seven (7) feet or less from the floor or working platform, shall be guarded in accordance with the standards specified in paragraphs (m) and (o) of this section. Pulleys serving as balance wheels (e.g., punch presses) on which the point of contact between belt and pulley is more than six feet six inches (6 ft. 6 in.) from the floor or platform may be guarded with a disk covering the spokes.

1910.263(e)

Mixers with external power application shall have all belts, chains, gears, pulleys, sprockets, clutches, and other moving parts completely enclosed.

Each mixer shall be equipped with an individual motor and control, and with a conveniently located manual switch to prevent the mixer from being started in the usual manner while the machine is being serviced and cleaned.

INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS

An industrial accident occurs in a workplace within an industry that depends on heavy machinery and related processes. Industrial accidents can arise due to defective or malfunctioning equipment, poorly maintained machinery, or lack of proper employee training. Any incident that results in employee injury or death may constitute an industrial accident. Industrial accidents are often not accidents at all. They are preventable tragedies that arise because of someone else’s negligence.

TYPES OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS

• Heavy equipment accident
• Caught-in/between
• Forklift accident
• Transportation accident
• Chemical burns
• Explosions
• Crane accidents
• Commercial fires
• Electrocution

CAUSES OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS

Recognizing the causes of your recent industrial machinery accident is the first step toward obtaining fair compensation for your damages.

• Poor equipment maintenance: Poor machinery or property maintenance could lead to safety hazards such as inaccessible or faulty shutoff switches (Lock-Out/Tag-Out), obstructed lines of sight, missing machine safety guards, or another non-compliance with OSHA. It is every employer’s legal duty to properly inspect, repair, and maintain all equipment and machinery at the worksite. All business owners must ensure their premises are safe and functional for employees, customers, and partners who use the premises
• Failure to train or supervise: It is the employer’s duty to properly train all industrial workers to safely and efficiently operate heavy machinery. Lack of training could make it impossible for an employee to know how to avoid a deadly situation. Lack of proper supervision from a manager could also contribute to worker injuries or deaths. Every employer has the legal duty to prepare workers for the jobs they will perform. If a worker’s job involves industrial machinery, the employer must properly train the worker on how to use it according to the manufacturer’s instruction manual. This includes teaching workers all related safety tips, and providing warnings of potential threats to health or safety.
• Careless employers: OSHA has many rules regarding how to control the potential hazards involved with machinery, machine guarding, falls, power tools, transportation, hazardous energy, and more. Employers in industrial industries must know and obey OSHA’s related safety guidelines. Failure to adhere to OSHA’s rules could create an unnecessarily dangerous work environment for employees
• Equipment defects: Sometimes an employer does everything possible to prepare workers and maintain equipment, but serious injuries happen anyway. These instances may involve a defective piece of machinery. Design, manufacturing, or marketing defects could make industrial machinery impossible to use without unreasonable risk of harm. Product manufacturers have a legal obligation to make sure the products they develop and sell do not pose risks or safety hazards to end users. When a defective product causes an injury, death, and/or property damage, the victims may have grounds for a product liability claim against the manufacturer

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE (LIABLE)?

Liability refers to someone’s legal responsibility for another person’s injuries and related damages. One person may be liable for an industrial machinery accident if he or she individually contributed to the tragedy through an act of negligence or intent to harm. Otherwise, a company or another entity may bear responsibility.

Miller Weisbrod’s Personal Injury Lawyers work quickly to identify all liable parties, from employers who neglected to monitor and secure a safe work environment to independent employees who failed to follow safety standards to manufacturers of defective products that were rushed to market without proper safety features or flawed functionality that causes serious injury or, even in the worst cases, death.

CONTACT MILLER WEISBROD WORK INJURY ATTORNEYS

The Dallas Work Injury Lawyers of Miller Weisbrod offer informed counsel and experienced representation to clients in Texas and nationwide. To discuss your case in a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer, please fill out the contact form on this page to schedule an appointment. You can also call us directly at 214-987-0005 or toll free at 888-987-0005.

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Chevy Bolt Recall Announcement

General Motors (GM) is advising Chevrolet Bolt owners not to park their electric cars within 50 feet of other vehicles to reduce the risk of a potential fire spreading to nearby cars and trucks.

The warning follows the Detroit automaker recalling more than 140,000 of the EVs produced since 2016 due to the risk of batteries spontaneously catching fire.

GM has confirmed fires in at least 12 vehicles, but more continue to be reported. GM has said it is working with LG to rectify the issues and increase production of the new modules for the potentially defective battery packs. It will notify customers when replacement parts are ready.

GM says Chevy Bolt owners with questions should visit www.chevy.com/boltevrecall, contact its Chevrolet EV helpline at 1-833-EVCHEVY or contact their preferred Chevrolet EV dealer.

Until repairs are done, GM says owners should park the cars outdoors, limit charging to 90% of battery capacity, and not deplete batteries below 70 miles of range. The company says the Bolts should not be charged overnight, and should be parked outside immediately after they are charged.

This is the second recall after two Bolts that had been fixed under a previous recall caught fire. This recall affects 69,000 Bolts worldwide from 2017, 2018 and part of the 2019 model year. All have batteries made by LG Chem in South Korea.

It seems to be more common for vehicle defects to lead to injuries, crashes, or worse. There have been countless vehicle recalls over the past 10 years, many of which include combustible batteries, defective airbags, seat belts, and other crucial vehicle components.

If you, or someone you know, were injured by the circumstances involving the Chevy Bolt recall, call us today. The experienced attorneys of Miller Weisbrod, LLP will know how to investigate your case. You may be able to bring a lawsuit against the designer of the car, the manufacturer of the vehicle parts, the assembler, or the dealership.

For more information, we invite you to contact our offices in Dallas at 214.987.0005 to schedule a free initial consultation with our experienced personal injury trial lawyers. If you are calling from outside the DFW area, please call us toll free at 888.987.0005. You may also contact us by filling out the form on this page to request an appointment.

Find out if your vehicle is affected by the GM Chevy Bolt recall:
NHTSA Vehicle Recall Tool http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle-Safety

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Newborn Resuscitation

During pregnancy the baby is dependent on the umbilical cord and placenta for oxygen delivery. 10% of newborns require some form of assistance to start breathing on their own and 1% requires extensive medical intervention known as neonatal resuscitation.

Neonatal resuscitation refers to emergency intervention techniques employed immediately after childbirth to assist babies who are not able to breathe independently after birth. If a newborn cannot begin breathing independently right away they are at risk of birth asphyxia which can cause serious brain injury and even death.

When abnormal breathing is observed after delivery, doctors (neonatologists/pediatricians) and neonatal nurses will have a very short window of time to intervene to avoid harm to the baby. Anticipating the potential need for neonatal resuscitation is often critical. The leading risk factor for newborn respiratory problems is prematurity. Another common cause of the need for neonatal resuscitation is birth injury from inadequate oxygen to the unborn baby during the labor and delivery process.

Risk factors and Symptoms of Neonatal Resuscitation:

• Maternal hypertension or cardiovascular disease
• Multiples (twins)
• Maternal drug/alcohol usage
• Trauma during birth
• Maternal age over 40
• Fetal macrosomia
• Meconium stained amniotic fluid
• Maternal infection
• Placental abruption

Neonatal Guidelines
Anticipation and Preparation: Newborn resuscitation depends heavily on proper planning and readiness of the team. Effective team behaviors, such as anticipation, communication, briefing, equipment checks, and assignment of roles, result in improved team performance and neonatal outcome.

The obstetrician or maternal fetal medicine doctors and the labor and delivery nurses are required to arrange a team to be present if there are signs that neonatal breathing assistance or neonatal resuscitation may be required. The hospital should then respond by sending a team to the delivery room.

This team may consist of neonatal nurses and/or doctors that will be either a neonatologist or pediatrician, depending upon the size and sophistication of the hospital. If a neonatal team is not requested, or is not assembled prior to delivery, then valuable minutes may be lost while the baby is not breathing.

Even if a team is not present at the time of delivery, the labor and delivery nurses and obstetrician delivering the baby must urgently call a team if a baby is unexpectantly born without breathing or not breathing properly. Every minute counts when a baby is not breathing!

Positive-pressure ventilation and Oxygen therapy (PPV): PPV remains the primary method for providing support for newborns that are apneic, bradycardic, or demonstrate inadequate respiratory effort. Pulse oximetry is used to guide oxygen therapy and meet oxygen saturation goals. This can include the intubation of the baby. A timely intubation will save a baby that is not breathing from any further damage. With proper oxygen therapy, a rise in heart rate is the most important indicator of effective ventilation and response to resuscitative interventions.

Chest compressions: If the heart rate remains less than 60/min despite 30 seconds of adequate PPV, chest compressions should be provided. The suggested ratio is 3 chest compressions synchronized to 1 inflation (with 30 inflations per minute and 90 compressions per minute) using the 2 thumb–encircling hands technique for chest compressions.

Vascular access: When vascular access is required in the newly born, the umbilical venous route is preferred. When intravenous access is not feasible, the intraosseous route may be considered.

Medications: If the response to chest compressions is poor, it may be reasonable to provide epinephrine, preferably via the intravenous route. This can help restart a baby’s heart and must be done timely!

Volume expansion: Failure to respond to epinephrine in a newborn with history or examination consistent with blood loss may require volume expansion.

Knowing the limitations: Doctors and nurses who provide neonatal resuscitation are faced with many challenges with respect to the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to perform effectively. These medical providers must be adequately trained on neonatal resuscitation methods and interventions. Neonatal resuscitation will always benefit from ongoing booster training, briefing, and debriefing.

Slow or improper performance of these procedures, and failure to perform procedures when indicated, can critically deprive adequate oxygen and blood flow to the baby. There are very specific guidelines published for medical professionals regarding what should be done in situations requiring neonatal resuscitation. Failure to follow acceptable standards and guidelines relating to neonatal resuscitation is medical negligence or medical malpractice.

Deprivation of oxygen and blood can lead to disability and permanent brain injuries, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebral palsy, periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), and brain bleeds. The type and severity of the brain damage depend on many factors, including how long the baby was deprived of adequate blood flow and oxygen.

The Texas Birth Injury Attorneys at Miller Weisbrod understand the significant impact a birth injury will have not only on your child's life, but also your own. As experienced Birth Injury Lawyers, we fight hard for answers and justice if a delivery room error or doctor's negligence caused your child's birth injury.

If your child suffered a serious injury or lifetime disability due to a mistake before, during or after delivery, a lawsuit may be the best way to find out once and for all what happened and who should be held responsible. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced birth injury lawyer. We encourage you to call our offices today at 214.987.0005 or toll free at 888.987.0005. You may also contact us by filling out the form on this page for answers to your important questions or to schedule an appointment.

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What Is Neonatal Hypoglycemia

Neonatal Hypoglycemia (NH) is one of the most common metabolic problems in babies, and severe NH is one of the leading causes of a brain injury to your baby. When your baby is born, the doctors will often order your baby’s blood glucose (sugar) to be monitored even if your baby is completely healthy. This is because of danger that hypoglycemia can pose even to healthy babies.

When your baby’s blood does not deliver enough glucose (sugar) to the brain, the lack of sugar can lead to serious consequences to your baby’s young brain because an infant’s developing brain tissue depends on a steady supply of glucose as its main source of fuel for making the transition to life. When a baby’s brain doesn’t receive a sufficient amount of glucose, the cells in the brain begin to die, and this can lead to permanent brain damage, developmental delays, and long-term loss of brain tissue.

Known Conditions That Cause NH:

• Babies who are unusually small or large for gestational age
• Babies who were born to diabetic mothers
• Babies who have a history of asphyxia (HIE) or stress in the womb
• Babies with low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism)
• Babies who have certain rare genetic disorders
• Preterm babies: may have poor nutrient reserves and immature hormone systems that can increase their risk

Long-Term Effects of neonatal hypoglycemia:
If neonatal hypoglycemia goes undiagnosed and/or untreated for too long, there is a chance for long-term injury:

• Brain damage
• Cerebral palsy
• Learning disabilities
• Developmental disabilities
• Epilepsy/seizures
• Vision problems
• Neuropsychiatry disorders

There are two types of neonatal hypoglycemia, transient (short-term) and persistent (long-term). Babies who have transient NH typically have a deficiency of glycogen stores at birth. This is common in babies that are born premature, who are small for gestational age, or experienced birth asphyxia.

Some infants with low blood sugar may not show symptoms. Routine blood tests are done following birth to check blood sugar levels. If signs and symptoms do surface:

• Bluish-colored skin (cyanosis) or pale skin
• Breathing problems, such as rapid breathing (tachypnea), pauses in breathing (apnea), or a grunting sound
• Irritability or listlessness
• Loose or floppy muscles (hypotonia)
• Vomiting or poor feeding
• Weak or high pitched cry
• Tremors, shakiness, sweating, or seizures

Treating Neonatal Hypoglycemia (NH)
There are several treatment options available for the management of neonatal hypoglycemia; however, selecting the appropriate intervention can be challenging as the underlying cause may take weeks to diagnose. Therefore, during the diagnostic process, it is important to prevent or minimize periods of hypoglycemia in an effort to mitigate potential adverse neurological outcomes caused by insufficient glucose availability for optimal brain function.

Treatment includes giving the baby a fast-acting source of glucose. This may be as simple as a glucose and water mixture or formula as an early feeding. Or your baby may need glucose given through an IV. The baby's blood glucose levels are checked after treatment to see if the hypoglycemia occurs again.

Aggressive management of neonatal hypoglycemia is important as impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes are recognized in this patient population.

Contact our Birth Injury Attorneys
The Texas Birth Injury Attorneys at Miller Weisbrod understand the significant impact a birth injury will have not only on your child's life, but also your own. As experienced Birth Injury Lawyers, we fight hard for answers and justice if a delivery room error or doctor's negligence caused your child's birth injury.

To discuss your case with an experienced Birth Injury Lawyer, please fill out the contact form on this page to schedule an appointment. You can also call us directly at 214-987-0005 or toll free at 888-987-0005.

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Signs and Symptoms of Fetal Distress

Fetal distress refers to signs before and during childbirth indicating that the fetus is not well. Fetus is the medical term for a baby prior to delivery. Fetal distress is a complication of labor. It occurs when the baby has not been receiving enough oxygen (birth asphyxia).

The baby reacts at the onset of asphyxia with a series of responses, a regulated redistribution of blood flow that serves to limit the effects of oxygen limitation in vital organs. This enables the baby to survive asphyxia intact unless the insult is profound or prolonged. Each of these stresses produces characteristic fetal heart rate patterns: late decelerations, variable decelerations, or prolonged bradycardia.

Common Conditions
The main sign doctors and nurses look for to determine fetal distress is a non-reassuring heart rate on the fetal monitoring strips. There are a number of conditions that can occur during labor and delivery that may lead to the fetal heart rate to become non-reassuring.

• Anemia (most prevalent obstetric condition seen behind non-reassuring fetal status)
• Oligohydramnios (a condition in which there is a lower level of amniotic fluid around the baby)
• Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH)
• Post-term pregnancies (42 weeks or more)
• Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)
• Meconium-stained amniotic fluid (a condition in which meconium, a baby’s first stool, is present in the amniotic fluid which can block baby’s airways)

Common Signs of Fetal Distress
Decreased Fetal Movement in the Womb
Movement within the womb is an important indicator of the baby’s health. Some regular pauses in movement are normal because babies sleep in the womb. If the baby becomes less active or ceases to move, this may be a cause for concern.

Abnormal Fetal Heart Rate
To observe an unborn baby’s heart rate, labor and delivery nurses and obstetricians can use either an external or internal fetal monitoring device. External monitoring is done through a belt-like device that can be strapped around a mother’s abdomen, while internal monitoring involves attaching an electrode to the baby’s scalp. Internal monitoring provides the most accurate monitoring.

During the actual labor process, the important document the nurses and doctors must watch are fetal monitoring strips (these are the print outs from the monitor). These strips will have some of the earliest and most telling signs of the potential for fetal distress. Nurses and doctors during the labor and delivery process look for certain heart rate patterns that are recognized signs of fetal distress.
Some fetal heart rate patterns are known indicators of fetal distress. These are called non-reassuring heart rate patterns. The following fetal heart rate patterns are examples of nonreassuring patterns and warrant further investigation and medical intervention:

• An abnormally fast heart rate (tachycardia)
• An abnormally slow heart rate (bradycardia)
• Abrupt decreases in heart rate (variable decelerations)
• Late returns to the baseline heart rate after a contraction (late decelerations)

Abnormal Amniotic Fluid Level
The amount of amniotic fluid can be determined using a variety of ultrasound methods, including a qualitative assessment, the single deepest pocket (SDP), and the amniotic fluid index (AFI). The qualitative assessment is fairly subjective. The ultrasonographer scans the uterus and reports whether the amniotic fluid volume appears to be low, normal, or high, based on their own experience.

If there is abnormally low amniotic fluid, this is a condition called oligohydramnios, which can lead to oxygen deprivation and birth injuries like Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy (CP).

Abnormal Results of Biophysical Profile (BPP)
A baby’s biophysical profile (BPP) is also often taken if the results of a Nonstress Test (NST) are nonreassuring. In addition to the NST results, the BPP includes an ultrasound to assess fetal movement, breathing, tone, and amniotic fluid volume.

Vaginal Bleeding
Vaginal bleeding is common during pregnancy. Bleeding can also be an indication that something is wrong with the pregnancy. One particularly dangerous example is placental abruption, which occurs when the placenta tears away from the womb. This causes the baby to be deprived of oxygen.

A placental abruption and other placental problems that cause bleeding require very close monitoring, and in many cases, the mother should be admitted to the hospital and given an emergency C-section.

Cramping
Cramping is normal during pregnancy. As the baby grows, the uterus needs to expand. In some cases cramping is an indication of something more serious, such as miscarriage, placental abruption, preeclampsia, a urinary tract infection, or preterm labor.

Maternal High Blood Pressure (Preeclampsia)
Preeclampsia happens when a woman who previously had normal blood pressure suddenly develops high blood pressure* and protein in her urine or other problems after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Women who have chronic hypertension can also get preeclampsia.

Insufficient or Excessive Maternal Weight Gain
Experts believe that for women with a healthy pre-pregnancy weight, a weight gain of anywhere between 25 and 35 pounds is normal during pregnancy.

Fetal Distress that is not recognized and responded to is negligence and this can cause a birth injury including Cerebral Palsy and other brain injuries to a baby.

Healthcare providers, including both labor/delivery nurses and doctors, must recognize and react to signs of fetal distress. This may include supplemental oxygen, turning the mom and signs of the distress that do not improve or indicate profound fetal distress they must deliver the baby quickly including performing a Cesarean Section (c-section).

There is nothing more traumatic than your child suffering a birth injury. Many birth injuries cause serious medical problems that could end in lifetime disability. The Texas Birth Injury Attorneys at Miller Weisbrod understand the significant impact a birth injury will have not only on your child's life, but also your own. As experienced Birth Injury Lawyers, we fight hard for answers and justice if a delivery room error or doctor's negligence caused your child's birth injury.

If your child suffered a serious birth injury or lifetime disability due to a mistake before, during or after delivery, a lawsuit may be the best way to find out once and for all what happened and who is to blame. Contact our Birth Injury Lawyers today to schedule a free consultation. Call Miller Weisbrod, Attorneys At Law today at 214.987.0005 or toll free at 888.987.0005 for a free consultation.

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What Is a Rollover Accident

Rollover accidents occur when a vehicle loses balance on the road and rolls onto its side or top. These accidents may even involve a car rolling over more than one time. Rollovers are often serious car accidents, causing multiple injuries and even wrongful death to drivers and passengers inside the affected vehicles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rollover crashes account for approximately 30 percent of passenger vehicle occupant fatalities. The proportion of fatalities that are attributable to rollovers is highest among the light trucks, 47 percent compared with 22 percent of passenger car occupant fatalities.

A number of these crashes occur when a driver loses control of the vehicle and it begins to go sideways. When this occurs, an object such as a curb, guardrail, or uneven ground could trip the vehicle and cause it rollover. Rollover crashes may also happen when a driver attempts to turn the vehicle at a high rate of speed. In such cases, the friction between the road and the tires could cause the vehicle to tip and roll over. Multi-vehicle rollovers are also common. This is where a vehicle may be struck by another vehicle. The force of the collision may cause one or more vehicles to roll over.

What Causes Rollover Accidents?
There are a number of reasons why rollover accidents occur. Here are some of the most common causes of these devastating crashes:

• Excessive Speed: Whether it is a single-vehicle crash or one involving two or more vehicles, excessive speed is one of the most common causes of rollover accidents. Vehicles involved in high-speed collisions may tip over to the side or completely roll over either trapping occupants inside or partially or fully ejecting them
• Drugs or Alcohol: When drivers are impaired, the probability of a rollover crash is much higher. Drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs lack the skill and judgment to drive in a safe manner. They are more likely make mistakes or drive recklessly endangering the safety of others
• Vehicle Defects: Design or manufacturing defects in vehicles could also lead to rollover collisions. Many vehicles today come with electronic stability control or ESC, a feature that helps prevent rollover collisions
• Tire Defects: Very often, we see that vehicles that experience tire failure also tend to roll over. This is particularly true for SUVs or other vehicles such as 15-passenger vans. When there is a tire tread separation or tire failure, it is much more difficult for a driver to regain control of the vehicle

SUV Rollovers	Isuzu Rollovers
15-Passenger Vans	Mitsubishi Rollovers
Ford SUV Rollovers	Nissan Rollovers
Chevrolet SUV Rollovers	Suzuki Rollovers
Dodge Van Rollovers	Toyota Rollovers
Jeep Rollovers

Common Rollover Injuries The majority of rollover crash victims sustain multiple injuries throughout five main areas: head and neck, thorax, abdomen, upper limbs, and lower limbs; the regions with the head and neck being the most vulnerable area. Some of the most common rollover injuries include:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Broken bones
• Cuts, scrapes, and bruises

These injuries are usually caused from slamming into another vehicle or obstacle, impact with unsecured cargo, contact with broken glass or torn metal, or from being tossed within the vehicle or ejected from the vehicle.

The long term effects of these injuries can include impairment of critical functions such as speech, vision, memory, and emotional control, partial vision loss or blindness, loss of hearing, loss of teeth or dental injury, chronic back pain, amputation to the arms or legs, and a variety of internal damages to nerves, veins, and organs.

Contact Miller Weisbrod
If you or your loved one were injured in a rollover accident that was caused by another driver’s negligence, you may be able to recover financial compensation for your injuries. To help determine whether you may be able to file a claim against the other driver, contact the Dallas Car Accident Lawyers of Miller Weisbrod to discuss your accident.

We offer sound legal advice, experienced representation and dedicated advocacy to victims of auto injuries and their families. For more information, we invite you to contact our offices in Dallas at 214.987.0005 to schedule a free initial consultation with our experienced personal injury trial lawyers. If you are calling from outside the DFW Metroplex, please call us toll free at 888.987.0005.

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