Birmingham SUV Rollover Injury Lawyer

Alabama Injury Attorneys serving Birmingham, Montgomery, and Huntsville

You want space for your children and their after-school sports gear, the family dog, and the groceries, but did you think you might have to compromise the safety of your family in order to get the room you need? Probably not, thanks to the appealing advertising of sports utility vehicle (SUV) manufacturers. With the allure of cargo room, aesthetic design, and comfort, SUVs promise all an Alabama family on the go may need. Sadly, however, that’s not necessarily the case.

Because of the design of many SUVs—with a high center of gravity and a wheel base not wide enough to balance the load in sharp maneuvers—these vehicles are prone to rollovers, which can inflict serious injury on passengers, particularly children. An additional factor that can make your SUV more susceptible to rollover is the vehicle’s payload capacity (i.e., the weight that can safely be carried). All too often the payload capacity of SUVs is overestimated by owners. If the unimaginable occurs and your SUV flips and you or your family gets injured, you may need an Alabama SUV rollover lawyer from Norris Injury Law.

While crossover models (SUV and passenger car designs merged for a lower center of gravity) and stability control systems on newer SUV models are steps toward reducing the rollover rate, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires as of September 2004 that the maximum combined weight of passengers and cargo be posted on the tire label on the doorjamb of all vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 10,000 pounds or less. Prior to this requirement, manufacturers could choose to put the maximum load carrying capacity either inside the vehicle or in the owner’s manual, making the valuable information not easily visible to SUV owners who may then overload their vehicles and make them more susceptible to rollover.

Most rollovers fall into one of four categories:

• lateral-force rollovers—occur when a vehicle is going too fast on a curve, causing it to roll; SUVs and other vehicles with high centers of gravity are more prone to this type
• ramp rollovers—the vehicle rolls because one side of it rolls up onto a ramp or other object
• side-slop rollovers—occur when the vehicle is driving in off-road conditions or unintentionally leaves the road
• sideways skid rollovers—the vehicle’s rear end spins because the rear wheels lose traction, resulting in the tires hitting a curb or other object and causing the rollover

Despite the type of rollover, rollover accidents are among the most deadly of auto accidents. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that one in three passenger-vehicle occupant deaths are a result of rollovers. If you have been injured or tragically lost a loved one in an Alabama SUV rollover accident, consider investigating whether or not you have a claim against the manufacturer of your SUV. While not all SUV rollover accidents warrant a claim, it’s worth looking into, as someone else may be at fault for the injuries or loss you’re experiencing. The Alabama SUV rollover lawyers at Norris Injury Lawyers are only a phone call away.

The Help You Deserve Is a Click Away

With our main office in Birmingham, Norris Injury Lawyers is situated to serve people throughout the state of Alabama, including the cities of Anniston, of Birmingham, Gadsden, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa.

Let the personal injury attorneys of Norris Injury Lawyers help you investigate your Alabama SUV rollover claim. For your convenience and peace of mind, we offer free consultations so you can make the best decision regarding your accident and potential claim. Simply complete a free consultation form online or call 1-888-317-2852. Our Alabama SUV rollover injury lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning we get paid only after we get you compensation, and our payment is a percentage of the settlement or awarded amount.