Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.
Rollover accidents can lead to some of the most catastrophic injuries we encounter in our practice. Our DC rollover car accident lawyers have seen firsthand all sorts of injuries stemming from these wrecks. In a simple fenderbender, it is normal to have neck pain from the whiplash. But in a rollover accident, you may land awkwardly and fracture your spinal cord, facing lifelong medical challenges and permanent disability. We say this not to paint a daunting picture, but rather to present how serious these accidents are. Not only might you face significant and indefinite pain, but you may also face staggering financial costs. This is when hiring an effective car accident lawyer becomes so important. When an accident victim retains Gelb & Gelb, we work tirelessly to hold the wrongdoer accountable.s
This involves a thorough investigation into the crash, interviewing witnesses, reviewing police reports, collaborating with expert witnesses, reducing hospital or Medicare/Medicaid liens when applicable, and recovering as much compensation as possible for your injuries. Even when liability appears clear in your accident, the insurance company will try to claim you contributed to the accident. They may argue that a car cannot possibly rollover unless you are speeding. In Washington, DC, being found even 1% responsible for an accident may bar you from recovery under a strict defense available to the insurer. When you hire a car accident law firm like Gelb & Gelb, you are choosing a firm that has built its reputation on integrity, client care, and results. Contact our office today for a free case consultation at (202) 331-7227.
Rollover accidents are uniquely dangerous for several reasons. First, a rollover collision involves multiple points of violent contact. Contrast this with a collision where you are struck in the rear by a car, and then you stop. In a bad rear-end collision, your car may be pushed into a wall, giving you two points of contact. But in a rollover, you connect with the ground, potentially other vehicles, and even with objects like guardrails, light poles, and trees. Moreover, rollover crashes are also more likely to result in fatalities than nearly any other type of car accident. They are involved in about one-third of fatal crashes on the road. The NIH study lists four primary injury mechanisms that you should be aware of.
There are endless causes of rollover car accidents in DC. In theory, practically any factor that would cause a car accident could also lead to a rollover. However, there are some exacerbating causes worth discussing. We cover those here.
This is perhaps the most obvious reason why a car would flip over in an accident. If a driver is negligently floating over into the right lane and realizes it before colliding with a car, the driver may overcorrect by veering left. Or, another instance when a driver may overcorrect is if they suddenly notice a hazard on the road, like a pedestrian stepping into the street, a pothole in their lane, or a parked car up ahead. When an overcorrection happens, the sudden movement shifts the car’s weight laterally. This can cause the tires on one side to lose traction, disrupting the car’s balance, and the weight of the car to carry it over. Overcorrections are logically incorrect, yet they appear instinctive on the surface. When you notice a hazard to the right, you want to steer far away from it. However, this is unpredictable to drivers around you.
They may notice you swerve and have to take evasive action themselves. Even a momentary jerk of the steering wheel, which is again often instinctual rather than intentional, at highway speeds, can cause the tires to dig into the asphalt, flipping the car over. When these types of accidents happen, particularly when another car does it, injuring you, we will quickly bring experts to the accident scene to investigate the skid marks. In many car accident cases, the property damage ot the vehicles is enough. That tells the story of where you were hit, and thus who is at fault. However, in a rollover accident, it can be harder to tell who is at fault from the property damage because there is damage to your entire vehicle.
Excessive speed is a contributing factor in all types of car accidents. No matter the type of car accident, if excessive speed is a factor, the injuries are likely more severe. When a car is moving too quickly, particularly around a curve or on an exit ramp, the center of gravity of the car shifts outward. This reduces the car’s stability, increasing the risk of tipping and rolling over. Especially when a driver begins to notice the tip at a truly excessive speed, that is when an overcorrection may happen, in conjunction with excessive speed, and roll over. But the danger of speeding in DC goes beyond tipping over. When a car is moving too fast, there is mroe force to enable a rollover. But there is also less time for drivers to respond to road hazards, pedestrians, or sudden stops ahead.
This means even less time to correct for the driver, and more likely that a driver overcorrects as an instinctual reaction in a high-pressure moment. In a rollover accident, the stakes are higher. Chances are, anyone in the car will suffer severe injuries. Accordingly, proving liability in a rollover accident, when it is notoriously difficult to prove liability on the property damage alone, becomes a critical skill. Gelb & Gelb, with over 70 years of experience handling car accident cases, can surveil footage, use police reports, and work with experts to reconstruct accidents. Another way to do this is by checking the traffic light timers and cycles. If a light at the previous intersection had just turned green, and the tortfeasor is already in an accident two intersections down, then they must have been speeding.
Like speeding, drunk driving makes any accident worse. It is also perhaps the single most preventable cause of car accidents if you are the one who is drunk. Alcohol impairs judgment, slows reflexes, and can even cause a driver to fall asleep at the wheel. Both of these skills, along with staying awake, are critical to driving safely. When you are drunk, you may misjudge an approaching vehicle, realize that you made a mistake, and react poorly. If you react at all, you may overcorrect, which can cause a rollover.
If you do not realize at all that you are drifting into the wrong lane, you may strike the other driver head-on, killing them and yourself. Especially in Washington, DC, where traffic is unpredictable, and even navigating how to get to your destination with closed roads for security at seemingly every other block of the downtown section, it can be difficult to drive even soberly.
When alcohol is part of the equation, the likelihood of a crash severe enough to cause a rollover increases. A driver who has been drinking all night may fail to recognize a red light, swerve to avoid a collision, and end up flipping their car altogether. The consequences of this mistake are often tragic. The personal injuries are obvious and cannot be overstated. But there is also often property damage. And especially for a DC auto policy, insurance will probably not cover all the damage the driver causes.
The one note here that may trip people up, especially people who confer with AI, is that there are no punitive damages for drunk driving in DC. In other jurisdictions, you may recover punitive damages, drastically increasing the value of your case. However, the law does not permit punitive damages for recklessness here.
Poor road conditions, and even fine road conditions but curvy roads, present challenges for vehicles prone to rollovers. Washington, DC, roads are not as poorly maintained as those in plenty of other jurisdictions in this country. Nonetheless, potholes, uneven pavement, missing guardrails, and deteriorating shoulders can all contribute to a flipover. Now, there is a silver lining in these instances. For example, if you are in an accident with another vehicle that pushes you off the road, but there is no guardrail where there should be one, the District of Columbia may share some responsibility. Besides the horror of the injury, this can be a great thing. The typical driver in DC has a $25,000 mandatory minimum policy limit. The DC government has a far larger budget to pay for injuries.
In our seven decades of experience, we have had too many cases where the case is worth large sums, but there is limited coverage to compensate the client for their injuries. For example, if your case is worth $500,000, but the defendant has a $50,000 policy and no assets, and you do not have sufficient insurance to make an underinsured claim, you may only be able to recover $50,000. Such is not the case if poor road conditions contribute to your accident. However, a word of caution, there are several statutes limiting liability for the DC government. There are tighter deadlines and sometimes stricter standards of negligence. Accordingly, it is best to speak with a DC car accident lawyer immediately to stay ahead of these deadlines and maximize your compensation after a rollover.
Whether a vehicle is prone to rollovers depends mainly on its center of gravity. This question refers to how high its mass sits relative to the ground. Besides the center of gravity, how narrow the wheelbase is relative to how high the center of gravity is also affects its rollover probability. The most common examples of vehicles prone to rollovers are SUVs and pickup trucks. The higher suspension and taller frame, which help with off-roading, also make tighter turns more difficult for the vehicle. Pickup trucks, vans, and commercial vehicles all face the largest risk of rolling over. This is particularly true with an uneven load. But focusing on smaller passenger cars like coupes and sedans, these too can rollover under certain conditions.
If you are driving a compact sedan, and another vehicle strikes you at high speed from the side, or even if you collide with a barrier at a certain angle, you will probably rollover. This is true even though you face a smaller overall risk — you are not immune. You increase your risk of being in a rollover accident, even if slightly, when you drive an older car. Older cars lack modern stability control systems as well as automatic traction and brake corrections. These modern technologies can save lives by preventing rollovers.
At Gelb & Gelb, we handle all types of car accidents, including rollovers. Our experience enables us to determine whether the vehicle’s design itself is a factor in the crash. In some cases, the fault lies not with the driver but with the manufacturer. If you are unsure, call us today for a free consultation.
When a car manufacturer designs their car for safety, they design the front and rear in particular to withstand impact. They create crumple zones that absorb energy. Comparatively, the roof is weak. Many vehicles have a glass panel at the top above the driver’s seat for a sunroof. The roof is in no way optimal for safety. In a rollover, especially when the car stops rolling and stays on its roof, the weight of the entire vehicle is pressing down on the roof instead of its tires. Manufacturers do not design cars with this in mind. Accordingly, the car can crush the cabin and anyone inside in the worst cases. This is known as a roof crush injury. This type of injury can be catastrophic, leading to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries, paralysis, and fatal compression.
Even a few inches of roof intrusion, without total compression, can cause irreversible harm to the people inside the car. From a legal perspective, when considering roof crush, we may choose to consider if the car’s design is defective. However, taking this route is extremely expensive as we must hire expert witnesses to draw up reports. Moreover, just because the roof is crushed does not mean it is defectively designed. It is rare for this to be a viable option. However, a prudent personal injury lawyer will consider all options to find viable sources of recovery to get you what your case is worth. Accordingly, we will lead a meticulous investigation into the facts of your accident. We do ask that you preserve the car so we can have our experts inspect the vehicle, preparing our case if we need to go to trial.
Gelb & Gelb has a long history of winning rollover car accident cases in Washington, DC. Roger Gelb, with over 30 years of experience, is a top civil litigation attorney in DC, according to The National Trial Lawyers. He understands the complexity of these cases, both legally and in dealing with medical charges, statutory liens, insurance contracts, and potentially your inability to work throughout the course of your injury. Several factors make these cases challenging. At Gelb & Gelb, our approach combines over 70 years of firm experience, dealing with meticulous investigation and aggressive advocacy for our clients. Every case we take on receives the same attention to evidence, legal causation, and holding the tortfeasor accountable. So, how do we win? We start each case by getting as many details about your accident as possible.
The more evidence we can collect, the better. Useful information can include police reports, witness statements, dash camera footage, and photographs.
Next, we build the medical foundation of your case. This too counts as evidence. We obtain all of your medical records and bills and thoroughly review doctors’ notes. Due to the severity of injuries resulting from rollovers, this step is particularly critical. If we feel it is necessary, we may recommend you meet with a doctor who is also an expert witness to evaluate you and draw up a report. This is in preparation for trial. All the while, we are communicating with you and the relevant insurance companies. We ensure you are well-informed of any case progressions, and we are beginning negotiations with the appropriate parties. Upon completion of your medical treatment or maximum medical improvement, we look to finalize a settlement. If this is not possible, we use our seven decades of experience and file a lawsuit against the defendant.
The legal process for a DC rollover accident can be complex. And of course, if we go to trial for your case, there is a whole other can of worms to consider. But even for a settlement, there are several legal requirements we must satisfy to get you the best outcome possible. The legal process at Gelb & Gelb always starts with our free consultation. Once we agree to move forward with your case, we begin investigating, evidence-gathering, and communicating with the respective insurance companies. We do this to help you stay on top of your medical appointments and ensure you recover as well as possible from your injuries. Beyond keeping up with personal injury protection, medical payment coverage, and complying with other statutory requirements, we cannot begin the settlement phase of the legal process until you complete your medical treatment, in most instances.
If the insurer refuses to make a fair offer, we are fully prepared to file a lawsuit in the DC Superior Court. Litigation typically begins with the discovery phase, during which both sides exchange information and take depositions under oath. During our review of the relevant discovery documents, we also consult with experts to give you the best possible chance of winning the trial. Expert witnesses can be expensive. Thus, we must weigh the cost of hiring an expert against your case’s value and the amount of coverage available. While most cases end in a settlement, it is always best to put your case in the best possible position should litigation be necessary.
We do not have to go to trial to win. But when the adverse party does not offer you what you deserve, it is best to carefully weigh your options and begin the legal process towards victory.
A rollover accident in DC can cause life-altering injuries. At Gelb & Gelb, we pride ourselves not just on the results we deliver, but on the personal service and client communication. Unlike many other law firms, we do not send you through a maze of paralegals. If you want to speak with an attorney with decades of experience in rollover accidents, you can call our office right now and get on the phone with a lawyer within seconds. This is one of the many aspects of our firm that sets us apart from other firms in the area. At other firms, you likely will speak with an “intake specialist.” These people are not lawyers. This means they cannot give you legal advice. To do so would be unethical and could get the supervising attorney disbarred.
If you or someone you love has been in a DC rollover car accident, do not wait to get help. Evidence fades quickly. Moreover, while you may read correctly online that the statute of limitations for a personal injury in DC is three years, it is shorter for wrongful death (D.C. Code § 16–2702), and other deadlines are as short as 60 days from the date of the accident. Accordingly, it is in your best interest to act quickly. Our firm has handled over 10,000 personal injury cases, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for clients through skilled negotiation and aggressive litigation. Call today or message us online at (202) 331-7227 for an immediate case consultation at no charge.
Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.