Vehicle Roof Crush

The personal injury attorneys at the South Florida law firm of Murray Guari Trial Attorneys have been achieving exceptional results for vehicle roof crush accident victims throughout the United States for more than 20 years.

Roof crush causes over 10,000 fatal injuries each year in rollover crashes is most commonly associated with the ever popular SUV. These injuries can include neck and brain injury, paraplegia, quadriplegia and even death. Roof crushes are most often caused by a vehicle rollover. Vehicle roofs are designed to have a structural support system that creates a survival space to protect the occupants in a crash. But in some vehicles automotive manufacturer defects cause the vehicle’s roof to not have the proper roof pillar strength, and that will cause the roof to cave into the passenger compartment.

Despite safer designs and structures that have been created, manufacturers claim it is the force of the impact that leads to injuries and death, despite the fact that the relationship between rollover crashes and injuries from roof crush have been observed and noted since as early as 1932. Roof pillars may appear strong to the average consumer, but most of them consist of just sheet metal that is hollow on the inside at the cross sections. When an accident occurs involving roof structures with a filled inner space, the outcome has proven to be safer due to a lesser amount of roof crush. Pillars filled with high-density foam can reduce the severity of roof crush significantly, saving lives and reducing serious injuries.

The auto industry has defended its roof designs with a thirty-year-old minimum standard known as Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 216, “Roof Crush Resistance”. The agency which adopted 216 has itself questioned whether the thirty year old minimum standard has anything to do with the forces experienced by a roof in real world rollover wrecks. There is substantial possibility of manufacturer liability when a roof crush occurs.

If you or a loved one has been a victim of a motor vehicle accident involving roof crush, and would like to learn more about your legal rights, please call our Vehicle Roof Crush and Auto Defect attorneys or contact us here.