Any time a vehicle rolls over following a multiple-vehicle traffic collision or single-car wreck, the occupants of that car, minivan or SUV could be injured in a number of ways. Besides being thrown against numerous hard surfaces within the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle as it rolls, occupants have been known to be ejected during such a crash event.
As Maryland personal injury lawyers representing victims of serious traffic accidents, I and my colleagues know that half of all deaths in rollover vehicle crashes are the result of a person being thrown from the vehicle. Rollovers are rather common with sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) as well as large, 15-passenger vans, mainly due to these vehicles’ higher centers of gravity. But even smaller passenger cars have been known to roll over given the right circumstances.
In any case, it is well known that a vehicle’s occupants are much more likely to be killed or seriously injured if they are ejected from the car or truck during a crash. This is because of the much higher chances that a person will come in contact with a hard object, which can result in traumatic brain or spinal injuries, paralysis, internal bleeding and multiple fractures.
A recent news article described a two-car traffic wreck along a stretch of Interstate 95 that sent two people to the hospital. According to reports, a Honda Accord and a Mazda collided together near the I-895 interchange around the border of Baltimore and Howard counties. According to Maryland State Police, the accident was reported at a little before noon on a Thursday morning.
Based on police reports, the cause of the crash was not known at the time of the news article, however, initial reports indicated that one of the vehicles overturned as a result of the crash. The driver and passenger riding in the Honda were attended to by emergency responders before being taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center after a Thursday morning collision near the Baltimore-Howard County line. The Mazda’s driver was reportedly uninjured, according to state police.
No mention was made of whether the accident was caused by human error or as a result of defective vehicle equipment, such as faulty steering system components or a blown tire. Police investigators were apparently still looking into the crash at the time fo the news article.
Vehicle Overturns on I-95, Sends Two to Shock Trauma, Patch.com, March 3, 2011