Written by Mackenzie Saunders:
In 2014, two Georgia residents tragically died in a rollover car accident. While driving down their local interstate highway, Melvin and Voncile Hills’ tire blew out, causing the car to roll over almost three times before the two passengers were killed by the vehicle’s roof crushing upon impact. The head injuries the Hills sustained through the roof crush were too severe to survive. The Hills’ legal team went to court, successfully arguing that the roof of their car was too weak for the size and weight of the vehicle. An expert accident analyst confirmed in court that the Hills’ cause of death was the car’s roof crushing in during their rollover crash.
The sad reality of roof crush injuries is that they are preventable by car manufacturers. Typically, roofs that are not structurally sound or roofs lacking safety measures such as roll bars are the cause of roof crush injuries. Approximately 7,000 people in the United States each year die or sustain serious injuries from roof crush car accidents. One of the leading types of serious injuries sustained from roof crush are spinal cord injuries. A rollover car accident, and a spinal cord injury, can happen at any second, changing your life forever.
Spinal Cord Injuries Caused by Roof Crush
Almost 40% of all spinal cord injuries are caused by car accidents, some of which are rollover roof crush accidents. In a roof crush accident, a vehicle rolls upside down, pressing the entirety of the car’s weight on the roof. If a vehicle rolls over multiple times in a crash, roof crush becomes more likely. If the roof is not built to maintain structure and shape in the event of a rollover crash, the roof can cave in, putting pressure on the passengers of the vehicle. This pressure can cause trauma to a passenger’s head, neck, or back, which can then damage the nerves located in the spinal cord. This damage, referred to as a spinal cord injury, can affect one’s movement and sensation of their legs, torso, arms, chest, and neck, depending on the level of injury.
Spinal cord injuries often result in paralysis, and living with paralysis is expensive. Medical bills, rehabilitation costs, continued care, and necessary medical equipment typically all cost money out of pocket, while factors such as not being able to return to work can affect the money you have available to spend. The yearly cost of living with a spinal cord injury can range from tens of thousands of dollars to over one million dollars, depending on your level of injury. Because of this, people who sustain spinal cord injuries may ask themselves how they will be able to afford their injury-related expenses. Luckily, an experienced roof crush personal injury legal team may be able to help.
Roof Crush Lawsuits
To seek financial compensation for you or your loved one’s roof crush injuries, you must first hire an experienced roof crush legal team. Your legal team will conduct an immediate investigation to determine all of the factors that contributed to the accident, such as a negligent driver, unusual weather conditions, or road construction. Your legal team will then collect all of the necessary evidence, including witness statements, pictures, and medical bills, to prove that the roof crush caused the injuries at hand and that the injuries have catastrophically affected you or your loved one’s life. In a court of law, or through a settlement, your legal team will need to prove fault on behalf of the car manufacturer and any other entities that contributed to the crash. A final and key step your legal team takes in a roof crush lawsuit is determining the amount of damages caused by the roof crush. Damages include medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. After calculating your financial loss due to spinal cord injury, your legal team will advocate for you to receive financial compensation from the party or parties at fault.
Roof crush accidents can be catastrophic, especially when they result in spinal cord injury. There are many expenses associated with sustaining a spinal cord injury, which is why it is vital for you to seek an experienced roof crush legal team immediately. Contact the Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers today at 1-877-SCI-FIRM for a free legal consultation.
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