Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

Two Pennsylvania residents were killed following a single rollover crash that occurred on Interstate 80 when their sport utility vehicle went out of control and rolled over. The driver was identified as 75 year old Jack Kelly and his passenger was 73 year old Lois Kelly, both of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, died in the crash.

Almost one third of all fatalities from vehicle accidents in the United States occur as a result of a rollover of a sport utility vehicle or 15-passenger van. You should also know that 70% of deaths in sport utility vehicles occur as a result of a rollover. Most SUVs lack proper roof support or rollbars that are necessary to provide vehicle occupants with the proper protection during a rollover accident.

At the Pennsylvania SUV rollover law firm of Reiff and Bily, we have been investigating, researching, and litigating SUV rollover and 15-passenger van rollover cases for many years with successful outcomes. The SUV has a high center of gravity and is noted to be one the most unstable vehicles on the highway. The press and the automotive manufacturers are quick to blame the driver who is simply taking an evasive action to avoid an emergency situation. The chief hazard in operating an SUV occurs when the driver takes an emergency action, steering the vehicle in one direction and rapidly correcting in the opposite direction, resulting in the rollover of the unstable vehicle. If you watch television advertisements or read the newspaper advertisements, one would think that SUVs are built for strength and safety and designed to be driven off the road. Yet very few of them have rollbars and very few meet minimal National Highway Safety Administration roof safety standards for automobiles. SUV rollovers are the most common cause of spinal cord injury and paralysis due to roof collapse.