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Rollover crashes cause some of the most serious injuries we see.
Since 1997, the attorneys at Flaherty Fardo Rogel & Amick have represented injured people and their families throughout Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. We work closely as one team. Every case that heads toward trial has the whole team behind it. In a rollover, the vehicle tips onto its side or roof, sometimes several times. Occupants can strike the roof, windows and pillars, and can be thrown from the vehicle. Head, brain and spinal cord injuries are common.
Common Causes of Rollovers
- Tripped rollovers happen when something outside the vehicle trips it: hitting a curb, guardrail, soft shoulder or pothole, a tire blowout, or a collision with another vehicle.
- Untripped rollovers usually come from driver error: taking a curve too fast, swerving or overcorrecting, or losing control while distracted or impaired.
Vehicles with a higher center of gravity, such as SUVs, pickups and vans, are more prone to roll.
When the Vehicle Is Part of the Problem
Pennsylvania recognizes that a vehicle manufacturer can be responsible for injuries made worse by a defect, even if the defect did not cause the crash. In rollovers, we look closely at roof strength, seat belts, side curtain airbags, door latches, windows and tires. Federal safety standards set minimum roof crush resistance to reduce deaths and injuries when the roof is crushed in a rollover (49 C.F.R. § 571.216a).
Do not let the vehicle be repaired, sold or scrapped. It may be the most important evidence in the case.
Pennsylvania Rules You Should Know
- Full tort vs. limited tort. If you chose limited tort, you generally cannot recover for pain and suffering unless you suffered a “serious injury” or an exception applies. Why we recommend full tort.
- Your own policy pays medical bills first. Pennsylvania requires at least $5,000 in first-party medical benefits, regardless of fault.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage on your own policy can pay when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough.
- Seat belts. Under Pennsylvania’s seat belt law, not wearing a seat belt is not admissible as evidence in a civil trial and is not considered contributory negligence.
- Shared fault. You can recover if you were 50% or less at fault. Your award is reduced by your share.
- Deadline. Most lawsuits must be filed within two years. Claims against a government agency, such as PennDOT for a road defect, require written notice within six months, and immunity laws limit some claims.
How We Build Rollover Cases
- Preserve the vehicle and its event data recorder.
- Reconstruct the crash. Reconstructionists determine speed, what tripped the vehicle and how occupants moved.
- Examine the design. Engineers evaluate whether the roof, restraints or tires failed.
- Trial-ready. Insurance companies and manufacturers know we are prepared to try cases to a jury.
What You Can Recover
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain, suffering and loss of life’s pleasures
- Scarring, disfigurement and permanent disability
- Wrongful death and survival damages for the family of a person killed
Representative Results
- $3.5 million arbitration award under a seriously injured client’s own underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage
- $1 million policy-limits recovery for a client injured in a highway motor vehicle crash
See more case results. Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.
Related Cases We Handle
Talk to an Injury Lawyer
Every case starts with a conversation with a lawyer. We will tell you honestly whether you have a case and what it may be worth. Our injury cases are handled by Noah Fardo and Bill Rogel, working with Shawn Flaherty.
Call 412-802-6666 or email Managing Partner Noah Fardo at npf@pghfirm.com. Prefer to text? Use 412-855-5511. More answers: Personal Injury FAQ.
There is no fee unless we obtain a monetary recovery. We advance the case costs and are reimbursed from the client’s share only if we are successful. General information only, not legal advice. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.











