Any car accident can be dangerous. But when you are involved in a crash involving the vehicle’s roof caving in on the driver and passengers, the injuries can be devastating. If you or a loved one has been hurt, you need a Los Angeles car roof crush lawyer fighting for your rights.
A roof crush accident is often caused by a significant impact, such as the car rolling onto its roof. In some cases, any injuries are worsened by the manufacturers using sub-par materials or failing to reinforce their vehicles properly.
You need an injury attorney on your side who will stand up to major manufacturers and get the justice that you deserve. As a top-rated Los Angeles personal injury law firm, Bisnar Chase can help.
- We have a 99% success rate and have recovered more than $900 million for our clients.
- Free consultation, no win, no fee.
- A national reputation for winning auto defect cases.
Contact us today for a free consultation with no obligations. We have a no win, no fee policy to protect our clients from out-of-pocket costs. Call (323) 238-4683 or message us through our website.
Los Angeles Roof Crush Accident Lawyer
What is a Car Roof Crush?
A car roof crush, also known as a roof collapse, occurs when the roof of a car is forced down into the main cabin of the vehicle.
The roof of a vehicle is part of its protective outer shell and is integral to the car’s structure. It should protect drivers and passengers in a crash or accident. But that is not always the case.
When a vehicle’s roof collapses inward into the car, the integrity of the car will be completely compromised, and any vehicle occupants inside are likely to sustain severe injuries.
Do You Need a Vehicle Roof Crush Injury Lawyer?
Everything that happens after a car accident in Los Angeles can become a bit of a blur, especially when the accident causes serious injuries.
We always advise crash victims to contact a lawyer as soon as possible after an accident. Insurance companies use various tactics to minimize claims and keep payouts low, and you need someone on your side fighting for your best interests.
However, working with an experienced attorney is even more critical after a roof crush accident in LA. A car roof collapse may be a form of auto defect. This means that the car manufacturer might be responsible for any injuries if they were negligent in creating a safe vehicle.
You need an advocate on your side with experience in fighting for justice and holding car manufacturers accountable.
Award Winning Auto Defect Lawyers in Los Angeles
There are plenty of law firms in the Los Angeles area, but not all have the same experience and expertise.
Bisnar Chase is a top-rated, award-winning personal injury law firm specializing in auto defect cases. Our firm has decades of experience winning multi-million-dollar cases against major vehicle manufacturers.
We believe that holding automakers accountable is the best way to improve vehicle safety standards in the future, and we are proud of the impact we have had on the industry. Our team has a 99% success rate, and we have won more than $900 million for our clients.
Above all else, we believe in providing superior representation. Maximizing the value of your case is essential to us, but we also focus on client care. When you work with Bisnar Chase, you are backed by the resources of a litigation giant but with the care and attention of a family firm.
This page will give you all the information you need about car roof collapse accidents. But your best course of action is to contact an expert Los Angeles car roof crush accident lawyer at Bisnar Chase as soon as possible.
What Causes a Car Roof to Cave In?
When the roof of a car, truck, van, or SUV collapses, it is usually the result of a significant impact. Most crashes do not involve impacts on the vehicle roof. For example, if another car rear-ends your vehicle, you shouldn’t worry about the car’s roof collapsing.
However, some common scenarios lead to roof crush incidents.
Rollover Crash: A rollover accident is one of the most common causes of car roof collapse. This is when a vehicle flips over, causing the roof to crash against the ground. Many different factors can cause a rollover. For example, a tire blowout can cause a driver to lose control and their vehicle to roll. A car could also flip if it is sideswiped by another vehicle at high speed or clips another object.
Falling Objects: The other type of significant impact on a car roof is when something falls onto the top of the vehicle. This could include everything from falling debris crashing onto the top of the car to a barrier or garage door malfunctioning and coming down on the vehicle. Only heavy falling objects will likely cause enough damage to crumple a car roof and cause significant injuries.
Roof Crush Caused by Auto Defects
The causes of car roof crushes listed above are typically the result of negligence by road users, city authorities, or property owners.
However, in many cases, we will name a vehicle manufacturer as a defendant in a lawsuit over a roof crush injury. But when does a roof collapse become the manufacturer’s fault?
Car Roof Design Defect: Sometimes, an automaker will design a vehicle in such a way that the roof is not fully supported or structurally sound. Examples of car roof defects can include:
- Weak roof pillars that do not provide adequate strength and support in the event of a rollover or top-side impact.
- The lack of proper reinforcement infrastructure on the roof itself.
Vehicle Roof Manufacturing Defect: In some cases, the roof design will be fine in theory. But in practice, it is undermined by manufacturing errors or choices. For example, when manufacturers use thin or cheap materials to construct the vehicle roof, it is much more likely to buckle and cave during an accident.
Some car manufacturers do everything they can to save on costs and improve certain vehicle specifications. Using cheap materials or minimizing roof structure support can save the company money. Some manufacturers have been known to engineer holes in metal supports to reduce the overall weight of their vehicles at the expense of the added strength that solid metal supports would have provided.
When roof crush accidents occur, you need an expert to examine your vehicle and identify the cause. At Bisnar Chase, we can help you determine whether manufacturing defects or cost-cutting measures are to blame.
Who is Liable for Your Vehicle Roof Crush Injuries?
As with any personal injury case, liability will depend on the circumstances of the accident. The liable parties include anyone who is at least partially responsible for the victim’s injuries.
In most cases, a roof crush accident lawsuit in Los Angeles might target any of the following parties:
A driver who caused the accident. If another road user caused an accident resulting in a roof collapse and associated injuries, they may be liable. Typical examples of negligent driving include speeding, running red lights, ignoring road signs, distracted driving, or changing lanes without looking.
The automaker. The company that is ultimately responsible for any decisions regarding design, manufacturing, or materials may be held responsible if the vehicle is found to be defective or inherently unsafe.
Third-party designers, manufacturers, or suppliers. If an unsafe element of a vehicle has been supplied by a third-party company, that company would share some portion of the blame.
Other negligent parties may share liability in a roof crush lawsuit or action. Contact a car roof collapse lawyer at Bisnar Chase to ensure all responsible parties are held accountable.
Can You Name Multiple Parties in a Car Roof Crush Lawsuit?
We can name multiple parties as defendants in a legal action. For example, if a negligent driver causes a crash, but the victim’s injuries were made much worse by manufacturer negligence, we could name both the offending driver and the automaker as defendants in the lawsuit.
What if You Were Partly at Fault?
It is also important to note that an injury victim can still take legal action if they were partly at fault for the accident.
For example, if a driver makes an unsafe maneuver and causes an accident but suffers injuries themselves due to the poor design or construction of their own vehicle’s roof, they can still take legal action under California’s comparative negligence law.
Under the comparative negligence law, the plaintiff’s financial award is likely to be reduced by their percentage of fault.
Common Vehicle Roof Crush Injuries
Any car accident can cause significant injuries. When you are involved in a collision with another vehicle, you are likely to suffer a range of injuries, such as:
Cuts and bruises.
Broken bones.
Whiplash, concussions, and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
Head, neck, and spinal cord injuries.
When a roof is properly reinforced, and the vehicle’s occupants are wearing their seat belts, they will be protected against some injuries, even when the vehicle rolls.
But when the roof is defective and caves in, it can result in significant additional trauma and severe injuries.
In many cases, a car roof collapse accident can cause massive blunt-force trauma and crush injuries, potentially resulting in catastrophic head and spine damage or fatalities.
Wrongful Death Claim
If a family member has died due to a car roof collapse, we can file a wrongful death lawsuit on your behalf. A personal injury lawyer at Bisnar Chase will fight to ensure you are compensated for the loss of love and companionship, the loss of financial and emotional support, any suffering due to the fatal injuries sustained, and much more.
We understand how devastating the loss of a loved one can be, and we are here to support you.
The Law: Car Roof Resistance Standards
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sets a federal roof crush resistance safety standard in accordance with the Department of Transportation.
General NHTSA rules apply to passenger cars, trucks, and buses that weigh 10,000 lbs or less. To meet the standard, the vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand three times the vehicle’s unloaded weight.
Vehicles are tested on a machine that pushes a large steel plate against the car’s roof, steadily increasing the force until it reaches 3x the vehicle’s weight and then measuring the movement of the roof.
Upgraded Law
Until 2009, the law only applied to vehicles weighing up to 6,000 pounds, and the limit for a pass was 1.5x the vehicle’s weight. NHTSA upgraded the law and doubled the limit in 2009 to help reduce the risk of death and serious injury in rollover crashes.
Under the upgraded law, vehicles must now be tested on both sides and require a minimum headroom provision.
While changes have been made to require stronger car roofs, more work can be done. If a vehicle manufacturer did not comply with the rules, or if they could have done more to protect the occupants of a vehicle they are responsible for, Bisnar Chase will ensure that justice is done.
How Common Are Roof Crush Car Accidents?
There are more than six million car accidents in the United States every year. About 280,000 of those accidents are rollovers—less than 5% of the total number.
A rollover crash is by far the most common cause of roof crush injuries. While they are relatively rare compared to other forms of auto accidents, 280,000 is still a big number. The statistics show the danger presented by a weak roof in a rollover.
- While rollovers make up less than 5% of accidents, they account for about 35% of all highway fatalities. Thousands of people suffer catastrophic or even fatal injuries every year as a result of rollovers and car roof collapses.
- About 6,500 people suffer injuries due to vehicle roof contact every year in the U.S. Over half of those injury victims are wearing seat belts. But a seat belt cannot save you if the roof collapses inward into the vehicle cabin.
- Some vehicles are more prone to rolling than others. The graph below shows the percentage of fatalities in rollover crashes in 2020. SUVs are considered safe vehicles, but they lead the rollover charts.
Generally speaking, taller vehicles are more prone to flipping onto the roof because they have a higher center of gravity than lower vehicles. Therefore, they are more likely to be involved in a roof-crush car accident. However, the dangers of roof crush still depend on the individual vehicle and the care that the manufacturer has put into the roof design.
In the event of a top-side impact, studies are clear. The result of one investigation shows that the risk of death, spine injury, or traumatic brain injury is significantly increased in line with the degree of roof crush.
Another published study agreed with the findings, showing that a car roof collapse is linked to more significant injuries. This means that weak roofs can be deadly to vehicle occupants.
What to Do After a Car Roof Collapse Accident
At Bisnar Chase, we handle a lot of car accident cases. Most of the time, we advise injury victims to collect evidence at the scene of the accident to support any later legal action.
However, in a roof crush case, any injuries are often so severe that proper medical attention should always be your primary concern. After a roof crush accident, you should:
Get the medical help your injuries require. Your health should be your top priority.
Ensure that your vehicle is stored somewhere safe. In any auto defect case, it is important to preserve your car in its current condition after the accident so that our experts can evaluate it.
Contact an attorney. Filing a successful action against an auto manufacturer can be a long and complex process. But our team at Bisnar Chase is here to handle everything, so you do not need to worry. Contact us for a free consultation, and let our team take care of every aspect of your case.
The same steps apply if a loved one has been involved in a roof crush accident rather than yourself. Ensure that they get the medical attention they need, secure the vehicle, and contact Bisnar Chase. We are here to help.
Auto Defect Experts: Our Case Results
Our law firm has been in business for more than four decades. That kind of longevity tells you what you need to know about a company. Our team is skilled, experienced, and trustworthy.
Bisnar Chase is an industry leader in auto defect cases. We have handled claims against many of the world’s top auto manufacturers, and our results speak for themselves. Below are some of our past case results for auto defects.
$32,698,073: Auto Product Liability
$24,744,764: Auto Product Liability – Defective Seatback Failure
$14,443,205: Auto Product Liability
$12,248,000: Auto Product Liability
$10,200,000: Auto Product Liability
$8,500,000: Rear-end MVA with Seatbelt Failure
$7,000,000: Auto Defect
$6,800,000: Auto Defect
$6,770,000: Seatback Failure
$6,500,000: Auto Defect
$5,830,000: Auto Defect
This is just a small snapshot of some of our top results in auto defect cases. Check out our website for more of our auto defect settlements and verdicts.
What is the Value of Your Roof Crush Case?
Of course, everyone wants to know how much their case could be worth. Although this may sound like a cop-out, the truth is that it depends on a wide range of factors.
Any settlement or verdict will be based on an accident’s impact on the victim. It might account for:
Medical expenses.
Lost wages.
Level of pain and suffering.
Projected future medical expenses.
Loss of ability to work or earn.
Lost quality of life.
Our experts will examine every element of your case to ensure we target every dollar you deserve.
There are no guarantees. Every case depends on the circumstances. But you can see from our past results that our team has a track record of securing significant settlements for our clients. We leave no stone unturned in building a persuasive and watertight case for you.
Contact a Los Angeles roof crush accident attorney at Bisnar Chase today to get started.
The Importance of Holding Auto Manufacturers Accountable
With roof crush accidents and other auto defect cases, it is not just about the money you could win. These cases are so important because they can also drive improvements in auto safety standards, potentially saving countless lives.
If a car or component is not safe enough, it is usually a matter of money. Auto manufacturers are massive businesses working at huge scales. They care about their bottom line. So, if they can save money while meeting the bare minimum of required standards, they will do so.
But the bare minimum sometimes just doesn’t cut it. When an injury victim works with an experienced law firm to prove that a vehicle manufacturer should have done more to protect the occupants of their vehicle, it can inspire the company to improve its standards in several ways.
A large settlement or verdict against the manufacturer will make them take notice. If they are paying out millions of dollars in legal decisions, skimping on basic roof reinforcement may no longer be the right financial decision.
A high-profile lawsuit can bring unwanted negative attention to the manufacturer and hurt its sales.
Successful legal actions might force an investigation or prompt proactive measures to set better safety standards.
A lawsuit might seem daunting, but it can legitimately change the auto industry and improve safety standards for road users everywhere.
Getting the financial compensation that you deserve is important. But we also have a chance to make a real difference to many people by winning your case. Contact our car roof collapse lawyers today for a free case evaluation.
Breaking Down the Legal Process: How a Los Angeles Roof Crush Lawyer Will Help You
Whether you or a loved one have been injured or worse in a car roof crush accident, you need an experienced legal team behind you.
These cases are complex and can take a lot of time, effort, and money to resolve. Below are some key areas that Bisnar Chase will handle during the legal process.
Filing: Our firm will work with you to ensure all required paperwork is completed and filed according to court deadlines.
Conduct depositions and source evidence: Essential elements of winning cases include strong evidence and on-record interviews with all relevant parties. Our team will source and compile all necessary information and evidence to prove your case. This will include requesting and analyzing discovery documents from the defense team.
Hire experts: In cases such as auto defects, we must hire experts who can analyze a car’s failing components to show how and why the vehicle failures caused your injuries.
Build the case: Even after assembling all the necessary evidence, auto defect cases require tremendous work to compile the paperwork into a manageable and easily digestible presentation of the key facts.
Work on contingency: Building a case like this takes a lot of time and money. But Bisnar Chase works on contingency. That means that you pay nothing out of pocket. We handle the up-front costs and take our pre-agreed fee from the settlement at the end, taking away all risk for the client.
Handle all negotiations: Our team comprises tough and experienced negotiators who know how to maximize the value of your case.
Go to court: Some cases cannot be resolved through a settlement. Bisnar Chase has a roster of skilled trial lawyers ready to face down the biggest auto manufacturers in court.
You need a top legal team working for you to stand a legitimate chance of success in an auto defect case lawsuit. Auto manufacturers employ huge legal teams to defend them, and you need a firm with the resources to meet them head-on.
Contact Bisnar Chase today for the superior representation that you deserve.
Auto Defect Roof Crush Trial Lawyers
The majority of personal injury cases are resolved through a settlement. This is when we present a case to the defendant’s insurance company or legal team with a financial demand, and both parties agree upon an out-of-court settlement.
While this is common, some cases cannot be resolved out of court. If the two sides disagree about the facts of the case or the defense is unwilling to agree to a fair settlement amount, the case is likely to go before a judge and jury in court.
It is important to note that not all personal injury law firms are willing to go to trial. Some firms will settle for less than a case is worth just to avoid going to court, leaving money on the table. Bisnar Chase is not one of those firms.
Of course, there are pros and cons to going to trial in an auto defect case. Additional expenses are involved, such as the cost of hiring expert witnesses. Juries can also be unpredictable, so there is something to be said for the clarity that comes with a settlement.
However, in some cases, we feel it is necessary to go to trial to ensure our clients get the full compensation they deserve. Our team has handled countless trials and has an outstanding record in the courtroom.
Contact Top-Rated LA Auto Defect Lawyers at Bisnar Chase
A car accident involving a collapsing roof will often result in catastrophic injuries. When negligence is involved, such as the vehicle’s insufficient roof strength to protect its occupants, you need an experienced personal injury attorney on your side to fight for justice.
Bisnar Chase has earned a national reputation in auto defect cases for a reason. Our firm takes pride in holding negligent vehicle manufacturers accountable, particularly in car roof crush accidents. We believe in supporting our clients and making the world a safer place.
You need a firm with experience and longevity, and Binsar Chase has been in business for over 45 years. In that time, we have recovered more than $900 million for our clients, with a 99% success rate.
We believe in providing superior client representation with a personal touch. Our clients are like family, and we do everything possible to get the justice they deserve.
Contact a Los Angeles roof crush lawyer at Bisnar Chase today to find out if you have a case. Call (323) 238-4683 or send an inquiry through our website. We look forward to hearing from you.
