At some point in your life, you may have driven past an accident scene in which a vehicle has rolled over. The sight of a vehicle that has been destroyed in a rollover accident is not something you are likely to soon forget. It is hard to imagine anyone even surviving such a catastrophe, let alone walking away from the scene.

Obviously, if you are trapped inside a vehicle that is flipping over, you will be subjected to full-body trauma. You could even be crushed by the weight of the vehicle.

However, another hazard associated with rollovers is the possibility of being thrown out of the vehicle. As a study published on the Advances in Automotive Medicine website points out, once a vehicle begins to roll, an occupant must follow the curving path of the roll to remain inside. This can be accomplished through what is called “centripetal force.”

Centripetal force can be created by anything that can hold an occupant, such as a safety belt. Without something providing the centripetal force, the occupant is much more likely to pass through a window as the car turns.

Clearly, if you are in a vehicle that starts to roll, your life is in the hands of fate. You could suffer catastrophic injuries. Such injuries could take an enormous amount of money to treat. You may even need long-term care and special accommodations.

There are a number of reasons as to why a vehicle could roll over. An investigation could help determine what caused the accident. Often the cause of an accident is a key factor in determining liability.

A California motor vehicle accident attorney may be able to carry out just such an investigation. Once liability is determined, the attorney will have information they can use as evidence when seeking compensation for injured victims.