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Head Injury and Rollover Accident Information

The following head injury and rollover accident information is provided as a public service by Pritzker | Ruohonen, a national law firm. Fred Pritzker and Rich Ruohonen have, once again, been named “Super Lawyers” by their state’s Law & Politics magazine.  Fred Pritzker has also been selected by other lawyers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. To contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen for a free consultation about a head injury sustained in a rollover accident, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online-consultation form.


Risk of Head Injury in a Rollover Accident

About one third of all reported rollover accident injuries affect the head.  The following factors affect the occurrence and severity of a head injury in a rollover accident:

  • Seatbelt use – Not wearing a seatbelt increases the risk of sustaining a serious head injury during a rollover accident.  An unrestrained occupant can be thrown violently against the vehicle or be ejected from the vehicle.
  • Headroom – Headroom reduction increases the risk of sustaining a serious head injury during a rollover accident.
  • Roof strength – A strong roof on a vehicle reduces the risk of sustaining any injuries, including head injuries, in a rollover accident.  Roof strenghth could give rise to a product liability claim.

Rollover accident head injuries often involve concussions and skull fractures:

  • Concussion is the most common type of traumatic brain injury (TBI).  A concussion is a short loss of awareness or consciousness in response to a head injury.  The injured person may not black out but may merely feel dazed.  Most concussions are mild, but some can have serious, lasting side effects.
  • Skull fractures occur when the bone of the skull cracks or breaks. For the skull to fracture, the blow to the head has to be severe and is more likely to happen to someone in a rollover accident who was not wearing his or her seatbelt.  There are a number of different skull fractures:
    • A simple fracture is a break in the bone without damage to the skin.
    • A linear skull fracture is a break in a cranial bone resembling a thin line, without splintering, depression, or distortion of bone.
    • A depressed skull fracture is a break in a cranial bone (or "crushed" portion of skull) with depression of the bone in toward the brain.
    • A penetrating skull fracture occurs when something pierces the skull, such as a bullet, leaving a distinct and localized injury to brain tissue.
    • A compound fracture involves a break in, or loss of skin and splintering of the bone.

For more information on head injuries, please see the firm's traumatic brain injury information.

Reference: Eigen, Ana Maria, “Examination of rollover crash mechanisms and occupant outcomes,” Traffic Safety Facts, a publication of the National Center for Statistics & Analysis.  http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/809-692.PDF


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