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CASES & INVESTIGATIONS |
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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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Greater Risk of Rollover Accidents In 15 Passenger
Vans |
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| On June 1, 2004, Dr. Jeffrey
Runge, head of the U.S. Department of Transportation's
National Highway Traffic Safety Administraton (NHTSA),
issued a warning
to users of 15-passenger vans, as well as extended
12-passenger vans, because of an increased rollover
risk under certain conditions. Similar warnings
were issued in 2001 and 2002. These warnings were
reissued by NHTSA in May of 2006. |
| NHTSA has reported
that 15-passenger vans handle similarly to
large sport utility vehicles when lightly loaded.
But when filled with passengers, or driven
above 50 miles per hour, the vehicles become
substantially more unstable than SUVs or pickup
trucks. Large vans are five times more likely
to roll over when filled than when only the
driver is in the vehicle, the report said. |
- The risk of a rollover crash increases
greatly when 10 or more people ride in
a 15-passenger van because the additional
passenger weight raises the vehicle’s
center of gravity and causes it to shift
rearward.
- The risk of a rollover increases greatly
when a cargo load is placed on the roof
because it also raised the center of gravity.
- In studies of single-vehicle crashes,
more than 90 percent of rollovers occur
after a driver has lost control of the
vehicle and has run off the road.
- Three major situations can lead to a
rollover in a 15-passenger van:
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Overview of 15 & 20 passenger vans accidents. |
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Manufacturers’ liabilities regarding van accidents. |
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Facts on the danger associated with 15 & 20 passenger vans. |
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A family’s fight to prevent more deaths from van rollovers |
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Tips to lower the chance of rollover accident |
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| Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP represents persons injured in vehicle accidents. Click here to submit your case. |
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- The van goes off a rural road and may overturn
when it strikes a ditch or embankment or when
it is tripped by an object or runs onto soft
soil,
- The driver is fatigued or driving too fast
for conditions and loses control when traveling
at a high speed causing the van to slide sideways
off the road often into the grassy or dirt
medians that line highways, causing the van
to overturn when the tires dig into the dirt,
and
- The driver overcorrects the steering as a
panic reaction to an emergency or to a wheel
dropping off the pavement, causing the driver
to lose control, resulting in the van sliding
sideways and rolling over.
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| Persons who have been
injured in accidents involving a 15-passenger,
12-passenger, 10-passenger, or cargo van, or
family members of loved ones who have died,
who would like to learn more about their legal
rights, are welcome to contact
an attorney at Lieff Cabraser by clicking here.
There is no charge or obligation for our review
of your case. |
| Alternatively, you
may call Lieff Cabraser toll-free at 1-866-313-1973
and ask to speak to partner Kathryn E. Barnett. |
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is no charge or obligation
for our
review of your case. |
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Learn
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| Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP, is a national law firm of over 50 lawyers with offices in San Francisco,
New York and Nashville. Our attorneys are recognized
for the successful prosecution of lawsuits involving deaths, personal injuries
and property damage due to defective products, including in the field of vehicle
safety. |
| In 2007, in the case
of Mraz
v. DaimlerChrysler, Lieff Cabraser
attorneys, with local co-counsel, obtained
the fourth largest verdict in California for
the year. At trial, plaintiffs showed that
a defective
transmission was responsible for making
a Dodge Dakota pickup shift into reverse and
run over Richard Mraz. |
| Currently, we are
prosecuting personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits involving cars, vans,
pickup trucks, SUVs, the Yamaha Rhino and other
vehicles. To learn more about the firm, click
here. |
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| Trademark Notice:
Vehicle Injuries.com is an electronic newsletter from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP, a national personal injury attorney | lawyer law firm. |
| Lieff Cabraser is not
affiliated in any way with any trademark owner. The use of any trademarks on
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| About Lieff Cabraser:
Drivers and passengers injured in auto crashes and pickup truck and SUV rollover
accidents, or families of loved ones who died, may be eligible to file lawsuits
against other drivers at fault or against the manufacturer of their vehicle if
the accident was due to a safety defect. Safety defects can include a high risk
of rolling
over, tire tread
separation, seat
belt failures and other defects. Learn
more... |
| We have offices in San
Francisco, New York and Nashville.
Our car crash accident lawyers and auto accident attorneys have represented
clients in personal injury, auto accident, SUV rollover and vehicle safety defect
lawsuits across America, including persons living in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,
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Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. |
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| Copyright © 2008 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
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