What Causes Truck Rollovers to Happen?

A truck rollover occurs when the vehicle loses control and rolls, often landing on one of its sides or fully rolling several times before it comes to a stop. A rollover is a very dangerous situation since there is no way to control the vehicle once it enters this process, often leading to serious injury to the driver and any others in the way of the incident.

The cause of a truck rollover depends on the situation. However, any victim of such an event should seek out immediate medical care and then contact a Springfield truck accident attorney at Holley, Rosen & Beard, LLC, for help in pursuing compensation.

The Most Common Causes of Truck Rollovers

A truck rollover occurs when some type of loss of control happens. There are many potential reasons for this, but the science behind it is rather simple. Something occurs that increases the roll movement that is present at the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. This is often due to the driver turning the vehicle too quickly. It can also occur when one side is allowed to drop suddenly, as noted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

What went wrong depends on the immediate situation occurring. Typically, there are numerous reasons a truck rollover will occur, depending on road conditions, driver skill, and other factors on the road. Some causes include:

• Speeding. A truck that is speeding will find curves much harder to navigate. It also leads to less ability to control the vehicle when road conditions change for any reason.
• Distraction. A sudden movement of the car due to swerving to miss something can lead to a rollover. A common cause of this is distracted driving behind the wheel.
• Poor control. If a driver does not have control over the vehicle for any reason, such as over-steering or not driving at a controlled rate, that can also increase the risk of a rollover occurring.
• Vehicle mechanical errors. In situations where a component of the steering system fails, that sudden change in the vehicle can lead to a rollover, especially if the driver overcompensates for the curve.
• Vehicle condition. There are times when a tire failure or another mechanical error occurs that creates a dangerous situation that leads to the vehicle’s imbalance.

The outcome of a rollover tends to be severe, often leading to damage to the truck, injuries to the driver, loss of cargo, and, in many cases, damage to other vehicles on the road at that moment.

Who Is Responsible When a Rollover Occurs?

When a truck rollover happens, the driver is often to blame and held at fault. That may not always be the case, especially if another driver caused the incident to occur due to their negligence. In some cases, the truck owner or the company that employs the driver could also be to blame.

Because of the complexity of these accidents, evidence and investigations are critical to determine the cause of a truck rollover. That may be done by the police, but it should also be done by an attorney working to represent you.