In an effort to help reduce the amount of deaths and serious injuries associated with vehicle rollovers, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) enacted a law to protect vehicle occupants in the event of such an accident. The Roof Crush Resistance standard (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 216) is part of the USDOT’s comprehensive plan to reduce the risk of injury and/or death resulting from rollover accidents. This standard applies to passenger cars and multi-passenger vehicles such as small trucks or buses with a gross weight of 6,000 pounds or less.

According to the requirements, the roof structure of the vehicle “must withstand a force equivalent to 1.5 times the unloaded weight of the vehicle.” This increased level of protection is designed to protect vehicle occupants from being crushed in the event of a rollover accident.

The USDOT indicates that approximately 273,000 non-convertible light vehicle rollover accidents occur every year. Although the Roof Crush Resistance standard is federally mandated, rollover accidents oftentimes still result in severe neck, head, or spinal cord injuries. Unfortunately, SUV occupants are more likely to sustain serious injuries or die in rollover crashes as compared to passenger car occupants.

Some of the most common reasons for roof crush during a rollover accident include:

• Poorly installed and designed vehicle roofs
• Poorly made supporting structures, such as weak or cheaply made roof pillars
• Poorly installed sunroof
• Poorly reinforcement windshield (or complete lack of reinforcement)

If you would like to discuss your case with an experienced Florida Personal Injury attorney, please feel free to call us at 1-888-777-3884 or fill out the Contact Us form on the right side of this page.

Our qualified Personal Injury attorneys have a wealth of experience representing those injured because of roof intrusion. We will work tirelessly to ensure that justice is served, and that you get the settlement you may be entitled to receive.

We help personal injury victims throughout the State of Florida, including those in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Broward counties, and the cities of Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Ft. Pierce, Coral Springs, Wellington, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and many others.