Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
Rollover accidents are one of the more deadly traffic wrecks that occur on public roadways. When occupants of a vehicle are not belted in, a rollover can cause severe bodily harm, if not death. Closed-head trauma and neck injuries are fairly common when a person is thrown around the interior of a rolling motor vehicle.
Most any passenger vehicle can be involved in a rollover incident, but this depends on numerous factors including weather and road conditions, vehicle speed and other steering inputs, all of which affect the vehicle’s dynamic performance. It’s commonly accepted that sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and larger passenger vans are more prone to rollover crashes than other passenger vehicles with lower centers of gravity, such as sports cars and sedans.
As a Maryland injury accident lawyer, I have seen the aftermath of highway rollover accidents and the human toll that can result. In some cases, the driver or another passenger can be ejected as the vehicle flips over and over. When thrown from a car or truck, a person can be easily killed by the impact with the roadway or another object such as a tree, bridge abutment or traffic sign pylon.
Not long ago a man died in a single-car accident along a stretch of road in Wicomico County, MD. According to reports, the crash happened just after 12am on Norris Twilley Rd., which connects Delmar with Mardela Springs, where the victim lived. Police stated that 58-year-old Milton Shiles died from injuries he sustained after being ejected from the vehicle.
Based on police reports, Shiles was along in the car and heading south when for some reason he was apparently unable to negotiate a curve. The vehicle reportedly left the roadway and overturned in a nearby field. Police and emergency rescue personnel arrived at the scene shortly after the accident to render aid, transporting the victim to Peninsula Regional Medical Center. Sadly, doctors could do nothing for the man and he was pronounced dead shortly after being admitted.
At the time of the news article, there was no specific cause given as to why the vehicle left the road and crashed. While all the facts were not known at the time of the accident, an investigation would likely turn up the cause. Absent an official report, there is always a chance that something failed on the vehicle itself, such as a steering tire rod, blown tire or other mechanical problem, which may have caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
According to news reports, that section of Norris Twilley is a rather narrow thoroughfare and has seen more than its fair share of accidents. As far back as 2002, the Wicomico County Council was investigating the high percentage of car and truck collisions on that stretch and number of accidents occurring on the road and looking into the possibility of having the road widened or otherwise improved for better traffic safety.
Mardela man dies in crash, DelmarvaNow.com, March 23, 2011
Man Killed in Wicomico County Crash, WBOC.com, March 22, 2011