Roll-over crashes are often a result of high-speed accidents or overly quick steering maneuvers. Sport utility vehicles (or SUVs) are particularly susceptible to these kinds of accidents. To make things worse, many light trucks, such as SUVs and pickup trucks, are not always designed with enough strength in the roof structure. In the event of a roll-over, the roof can be crushed sufficiently to seriously injure or kill the driver or passengers.
As a Maryland auto accident lawyer, my job is to help people recover the costs of an accident caused by another person’s negligence. This includes not only other drivers who may be at fault, but also the automobile companies who design and manufacture the vehicles whose roofs don’t always protect the occupants.
A recent accident on Northbound I-97 is an example of this kind of accident. It’ also shows how aggressive driving can cause other motorists harm, not to mention injury to the perpetrator as well. According to police, a 39-year-old driver was seriously hurt when his GMC Yukon crashed and rolled over on the interstate after hitting an out-of-control car that had been allegedly speeding moments before.
Based on news reports, witnesses told police that a Mitsubishi Lancer was traveling at more than 90mph on the afternoon of January 12 before the driver apparently lost control and hit a guardrail. Police reports show that the Mitsubishi driver had been weaving in and out of traffic prior to the accident. The driver reportedly lost control of the passenger car near Quarterfield Road.
After striking the guardrail, the vehicle bounced back into traffic and was hit itself by the larger Yukon, which then overturned on the roadway. The Mitsubishi ended up on the left-hand shoulder of the roadway.
After emergency crews arrived, the Yukon driver was taken by ambulance to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with serious injuries. Police said charges are pending against the driver of the Mitsubishi, who was not seriously injured.
Man seriously injured in I-97 accident, Hometownannapolis.com, January 13, 2010