A Tyrone Township rollover car accident has resulted in the death of a 21-year old Fenton woman.  Ashley Cripe was driving north on Linden Road near Turner Road when her car rolled over and she was killed.  She was not wearing a seat belt.

This is a real tragedy.  Anytime someone so young is killed, it is a horrible thing.  My sympathies go out to her parents and family.

If I were advising her family, I would recommend they file a claim for No Fault benefits quickly.  Her No Fault insurance will pay for a portion of her funeral expenses if her family makes a survivor loss claim.  The reason the family should act quickly in filing this claim is that insurance companies frequently try to deny benefits to people who do not submit their claims timely.

If you would like more information about your rights after a Michigan car accident, you can order our FREE book, ““The Ultimate Michigan Car Accident Handbook” by clicking on the book link.  We will send it out immediately along with other important information. 

For more information about Michigan car accident cases, visit our law firm web site at www.BuckfireLaw.com   If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan car accident attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.

A Monroe rollover accident has tragically killed one man and injured another.  Timothy Woods was killed when he was driving his pick up truck through a field and the truck rolled over.  His passenger, Robert Reed, was taken to Monroe Mercy Hospital.

This is a tragic loss, and my sympathies extend to the Woods family.   I hope that Robert Reed has a full recovery, and my thoughts are with his family as well.

My law firm represents people injured in roll over accidents frequently.  These cases can be very severe and often result in death or serious injury, as was the case here.  In an accident like this, the Woods family is entitled to survivor loss benefits through their No Fault insurance, which will pay a portion of the funeral expenses and may cover other expenses as well.  In addition, Robert Reed is entitled to No Fault benefits as well, which will cover his medical expenses and may cover other expenses.  He may also have a claim against Timothy Woods for his injuries, depending on how severe they are.  Although the passengers my firm represents are often hesitant to sue their friends or even family members who were driving when the accident occurred, I always advise them not to worry since the lawsuit is really against the driver’s insurance company.

If you would like more information about your rights after a Michigan car accident, you can order our FREE book, ““The Ultimate Michigan Car Accident Handbook” by clicking on the book link.  We will send it out immediately along with other important information. 

For more information about Michigan car accident cases, visit our law firm web site at www.BuckfireLaw.com.  If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan car accident attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.

Some of the most tragic accidents my clients have ever called me about involve large trucks.  The reason these accidents are so bad is usually because of the truck’s extra size and weight when compared to a normal car.  Michigan truck accident lawyers must determine all of the potential causes of a truck accident.  One common cause is the improper loading of the truck. An improper truck load is typically one which the load is too heavy for the truck and trailer or one in which the loading is not properly balanced.  These both affect the truck driver’s ability to stop and control the truck, especially when it comes to applying the vehicle braking system.

Overloaded or improperly loaded trucks are at greater risk for truck rollovers, because unstable trucks do not handle turns or lane changes as well. A truck that turns too quickly is more likely to rollover if they truck is improperly weighted towards the direction of the turn.

There are federal and state trucking regulations that specify truck load weights and provide requirements for the proper loading of trucks. A complete and thorough investigation of the vehicle log, cargo weight, and other specifications is necessary to prove the causes for the accident.  Many times, it is the truck load along with driver fatigue and other factors that cause the accident.  Because the injuries caused by truck accident are typically catastrophic, it is important to hire an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible after the accident to begin the investigation.

At my personal injury law firm, the attorneys have the experience and knowledge about overloaded trucks to make sure your rights are defended.  To find out more, you can visit our law firm web site at www.BuckfireLaw.com   If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan truck accident attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.

A horrific accident was reported involving a Michigan SUV rollover accident that occurred in Fruitport Township, wich is located in Muskegon County.  All eight occupants of the vehicle suffered injuries after the driver of the vehicle and a front seat passenger were playing games with the steering wheel.  This caused the vehicle to swerve and then rollover, ejecting many of the occupants who were not wearing seatbelts.

This is truly a tragic accident that should never have happened.  This was not the result of driver error or unforeseen weather conditions, but rather due to horesplay behind the wheel of the car.  Additionally, the fact that the passengers, many of them children, were not belted makes this even worse.  Most of the children were at an age where they should have even been in car or booster seats.

The injured passengers have legal rights against the owner and driver of the vehicle.  The accident was clearly due to negligence in the operation of the car and the injury victims can seek money damages for their injuries.  They can also make claims for Michigan no-fault benefits to cover medical and other expenses.  If I was the attorney handling this case for an injured passenger, I would seek all available remedies for this senseless accident.

You often hear reports of SUV rollover accidents closing down our freeways and causing serious injuries and even death to the occupants of sports utility vehicles.  Just based upon the volume of SUV ownership in Michigan alone, these incidents seem to occur almost daily.  As a lawyer representing clients in injured in rollover accidents, I am often faced with the task of determining the reasons for the vehicle rolling over.

Rollover motor vehicle accidents quite often result in life altering injuries, permanent disability or even death. Determining the cause of an SUV rollover and the parties responsible is a difficult and complex process. The auto and tire industries have been slow to accept responsibility for the design defects which cause or contribute to cause vehicles to roll over. In almost every case, they attempt to blame the driver for failure to maintain control of the vehicle or driving too fast for conditions.

Personal injuries from rollover accidents can occur in any vehicle including passenger vehicles, but minivans, pickup truck and sport utility vehicle (SUV) have a greater chance of a single vehicle crash rollover.  This is primarily due to the fact that these vehicles are taller (higher center of gravity) and narrower.

Even a 5 start rated vehicle has a 10% chance of a roll over accident.[1]    Per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 95% of rollovers are tripped – meaning the vehicle strikes something low, such as a curb or shallow ditch, causing it to tip over.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) lists the causes of rollover accidents:

Most rollovers occur when a driver loses control of a vehicle, and it begins to slide sideways. When this happens, something can “trip” the vehicle and cause it to roll over. This tripping object could be a curb, guardrail, tree stump, or soft or uneven ground on the side of the roadway. Rollovers also can occur when a driver attempts to turn a vehicle too aggressively — at a high velocity or with a tight turning radius. In such conditions, the frictional force between the tires and road surface can cause the vehicle to tip up and then roll over. These crashes generally are referred to as “untripped” or “frictional” rollovers. Though less frequent, rollovers can be caused by other factors, such as when one side of a vehicle is flipped up suddenly by a guardrail or other ramp-like object or when a vehicle falls sideways or front-first down an embankment.

A multiple-vehicle crash can initiate a rollover if it causes a driver to lose control, or a vehicle may roll directly after being struck in the side by another vehicle. However, about three-fourths of vehicles that rollover in fatal crashes are in single-vehicle crashes. More than half of all occupants killed in single-vehicle crashes are involved in rollovers.

NHTSA data also show that nearly 85% of all rollover-related fatalities are the result of single-vehicle crashes. This means that the majority of rollover crashes and fatalities do not involve any other vehicle besides the one that rolled over, further suggesting that driver behavior plays a significant role in rollover crashes.  Furthermore, NHTSA data also suggest that over 90% of the vehicles in fatal, single-vehicle rollover crashes were involved in routine driving maneuvers (going straight or negotiating a curve) at the time of the crash. This further suggests that driver behavior (distraction, inattentiveness, speeding, and impaired driving) plays a significant role in rollover crashes.

As an attorney handling an SUV case, it is essential that the accident victim contact my office as soon as possible after the accident so that we can start our investigation as to the cause of the accident.  It is necessary to obtain photos of the accident scene and the vehicles involved, as well as to interview witnesses while the accident is still fresh in their mind.  Quite often, accident reconstruction experts will need to examine the vehicles for damage location and severity before they are repaired or junked.  Winning a rollover accident case in Michigan can be a tough task, but with an experienced lawyer on your side your chances are greatly increased.