Chicago Rollover Accident Statistics

Learn About Rollover Accidents With Experienced Chicago Attorneys

Rollover accident statistics reveal the serious dangers that come from these types of crashes. A violent rollover accident at nearly any speed can cause catastrophic injuries, leaving the victim with a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, broken bones, or death.

Were you severely injured in a rollover crash, or did you lose a loved one caused by another’s negligence? The Chicago vehicle rollover accident lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Law can serve as your legal advocate to ensure your family receives the financial compensation they deserve.

National Rollover Accident Statistics

Only 3% of all motor vehicle crashes involve rollovers, but this accident type accounts for 30% of all vehicle deaths.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that, between 2022 and 2023, the last year for which data is available, passenger vehicle occupant deaths decreased by 4.3%. While this is good news, the National Safety Council found preliminary data showing the fatality rate remained mostly unchanged from 2023 to 2024. The estimated mileage death rate is 1.36 per 100 million miles traveled.

From January to June 2024, there were 18,720 rollover fatalities. Of these, 9,202 fatalities were drivers, and only 2,821 were passengers.

Chicago Rollover Accident Statistics

Chicago, IL, had 101,023 motor vehicle crashes in 2023. Of these, 104 were rollover accidents, which involved 111 overturned vehicles. Thankfully, there were no fatal rollover accidents, but 77 people were injured. About 16 people experienced a Type A injury, which indicates catastrophic damage.

While Chicago rollover accidents constitute a small portion of the overall crash rate in the city, they are a disproportionate percentage of all Illinois rollover accidents, showing the serious dangers of driving in the city. This is due in part to the sheer number of vehicles on the road, as well as the many highways and expressways that run through the city.

Rollover Occupant Deaths

From January to June 2024, there were 18,720 rollover accident deaths, which is down 3% from the same period in 2023. Of these, 5,212 were speed-related.

Only about 20% of rollover fatalities involve belted passengers, demonstrating how important seatbelts are in saving lives. About half of all rollover deaths involve someone ejected from the vehicle. Seatbelts almost completely reduce the risk of ejection, which can lead to a person being crushed or run over by the vehicle.

Younger drivers, those aged 16-19, are disproportionately represented in all car accident types, including rollovers. This age group is three times more likely to be in a fatal accident than those aged 20 or older.

Due to their higher center of gravity, large trucks are more susceptible to rollovers than passenger vehicles. Rollover, also known as overturn, was the first harmful event in 4% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes involving large trucks and in 2% of all truck crashes involving injury.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data shows that most rollovers are caused by a truck driver’s mistake. More than 78% of all cargo tank trucks involved in rollover accidents are caused by a driver’s error. According to the same source, only 28% of these crashes involved speeding, and only 5-10% were due to evasive maneuvers, such as swerving to avoid an object in the road.

An older report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests that males under 40 years of age driving on a two-way road without a dividing barrier account for the majority of rollover vehicle accidents.

Causes of Rollover Motor Vehicle Crashes

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 75% of all rollover deaths occur in single-vehicle crashes. However, the remainder, involving two or more vehicles, are often the most horrific crashes, leaving the accident victims severely injured or dead.

The source for causing a rollover could include:

• Vehicle Characteristics – Commercial tractor-trailers, box vans, SUVs, passenger vans, and pickup trucks have a higher center of gravity and are more likely to be involved in a rollover event.
• Speed – Driving faster than the posted speed limit accounts for approximately 40% of all deadly rollover crashes. Statistics show that most rollover accidents occur on roadways with higher posted speed limits.
• Impairment– Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is a contributing factor in many rollover crashes. Illinois has a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol or drug usage during driving. You can be arrested if you are using any substance that impairs your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, even if you have a BAC below 0.08% (625 ILCS §5/11-501).
• Location – More rollover accidents occur in areas with higher posted speed limits and rural roads lacking a divider to guard against opposing traffic.
• Distraction – According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, any form of distraction, including texting while driving, adjusting the control knobs, eating or drinking, talking on a cell phone, or looking at a navigation system, can increase the potential of having a catastrophic collision, including a rollover.
• High Winds – Chicago is known for its high winds, particularly on its expressways. The vortex effect from tall buildings, combined with wind from Lake Michigan, can cause dangerous rollovers for pickup trucks, SUVs, box trucks, and tractor-trailers.
• Road Conditions – Lake Shore Drive can sometimes be impassable due to heavy rain or snow. Single-vehicle rollover accidents may occur when a large truck loses traction and slams into the barriers.
• Tire Blowouts – A driver can lose control of the vehicle when a tire is flat or explodes, especially when traveling at high speeds. This can cause the vehicle to crash into an object and roll over.
• Vehicle Overloading – When carrying too much weight, a vehicle can quickly become destabilized. Overloaded vehicles can raise their centers of gravity, leading to a rollover when turning too quickly or sharply.
• Center of Gravity – Traveling too fast around a curve or corner increases the vehicle’s center of gravity, leading to a roll or tip-over.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), driver inattention accounts for most rollover accidents in numerous ways, including:

• Visual – when the driver takes their eyes off the road
• Manual – when the driver takes their hands away from the steering wheel
• Cognitive – when their mind drifts away from driving
• Overcorrecting – Many distracted drivers and those driving on icy roads can quickly cause a rollover crash when overcorrecting the vehicle by turning the steering sharply, impacting the center of gravity, resulting in a rollover.

Consumer Reports indicates that nearly all deadly rollover accidents involve single-vehicle crashes. About 95% of these accidents are tripped, meaning that the vehicle hit something like a curb or soft shoulder. Additionally, around 40% of rollovers involve excessive speed. The other 5% of rollovers occur by a high-speed crash avoidance maneuver, typically with top-heavy trucks, cars, and pickups.

Typically, vehicles manufactured with high centers of gravity are more likely to roll over than wider, lower vehicles.

Rollover Fatality Rate Involving Passenger Vehicles

The popularity of SUVs in the early 1980s led to an increased rollover death rate over the next two decades. By 2010, better auto designs that lowered the center of gravity helped reduce the number of rollover accidents significantly, decreasing the number of rollover deaths caused by rolling or tipping over.

However, SUVs and pickup trucks remain more prone to rollover accidents than sedans and other passenger vehicles. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, rollover accidents accounted for 21% of fatalities in passenger sedans, 39% of occupant deaths in pickups, and 37% of fatalities in SUVs.

Though many people believe they are safer in a larger vehicle, studies show that getting into an accident with a car 1,000 pounds larger than yours increases the risk of death by 66%. About 75% of all vehicles manufactured today are light trucks, which include SUVs and pickup trucks.

Commercial Truck Rollovers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has provided a variety of rollover accident statistics for cargo trucks. These include:

• Approximately 56% of all commercial truck rollover crashes occur on straight roads, not ramps or curves
• About 66% of all rollover crashes occur during the daytime
• About 93% of all rollover crashes happen on dry surfaces
• Driving too fast accounts for approximately 28% of all commercial vehicle accidents involving rollovers
• Evasive truck maneuvers account for approximately 5% to 10% of all semi-tractor-trailer rollover crashes
• Research shows that about 66% of all commercial truck rollovers involve truckers who have at least a decade of driving experience
• Most commercial vehicle rollovers happen to truckers who are between 25 and 55 years old
• About 54% of all commercial truck vehicles involved in rollover crashes had some brake defect when the accident occurred
• About 63% of all rollover auto accidents involving cargo tanks were carrying only a partial load, likely leading to the “liquid surge effect” transporting liquid loads
• Approximately 20% of all commercial truck rollover crashes involving inattentive driver behavior led to a severe crash

Injuries Sustained in Rollover Car Accidents

Most rollovers are violent, leading to catastrophic injuries. Any survivor of a horrific rollover might deal with lifelong changes to their health and well-being. The most common types of injuries involved in a rollover crash include:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries – A blunt force trauma to the head inside the vehicle or after ejection could leave the victim with severe traumatic brain injuries when there is a jolt to the skull. While some brain trauma might heal over time, the severe impact of a direct blow could cause permanent brain damage.
• Spinal Cord Injuries – Any catastrophic injury to the back or neck could lead to paralysis of the pelvis and legs (paraplegia) or paralysis of the arms, shoulders, torso, pelvis, and legs (tetraplegia/quadriplegia). Any blow to the spinal column could injure the soft tissue and vertebral discs, requiring surgery and involving ongoing (chronic) pain.
• Fractures and Broken Bones – Even if the victim wore a seatbelt at the time of the rollover crash, their body would likely be tossed and turned inside the vehicle or ejected through a window, striking the roadway or objects. Any forceful impact could break arms, wrists, legs, the spine, skull, and facial bones.
• Cuts and Lacerations – The jagged metal and broken glass in a vehicle rollover crash can lead to deep lacerations that may require surgery. These lacerations may also result in damage to muscles and nerves that may never heal.
• Internal Organ Damage – A traumatic blow in a vehicle accident during a rollover could cause significant damage to the internal organs through forceful impact or broken ribs that penetrate the lung, liver, or tissue.
• Crush Injuries – A buckling roof or dashboard during a rollover accident could cause crushing injuries to the abdomen, limbs, shoulders, or pelvis.

Types of Rollover Accidents

Various scenarios can cause a rollover crash with occupant deaths and injuries. The majority of rollover accidents involve the following.

• Trip over – A rollover is induced when the vehicle suddenly slows or stops. It is the most common type of rollover accident, particularly for single-vehicle crashes.
• Flip over – A rollover occurs when the vehicle strikes an object, rotating along its longitudinal axis. For example, these rollover accidents could happen when a driver hits a traffic bollard near the Federal Building at high speed.
• Bounce over – The vehicle rebounds off a fixed object, such as a guardrail, and the resulting force knocks it over.
• Turned over – The vehicle’s centrifugal force, occurring during a sharp turn, rotates the vehicle when it resists surface friction. As Chicago has a grid pattern, taking a 90-degree turn too fast can cause these types of accidents. Due to the heavy traffic, some dangerous areas include the intersection between Madison Avenue and State Street.
• Fall over – A top-heavy vehicle affected by directional movement when traversing down slopes could cause it to fall over. Chicago is mostly flat, making fall-over accidents unlikely, but taking an exit ramp on the Dan Ryan Expressway could lead to a fall-over.
• Climb over – The force of the vehicle moving in a direction causes it to climb over an object, lifting the vehicle off the ground completely.
• Colliding with another vehicle – Another vehicle’s force on the car or truck causes it to roll over.
• End-over-end – The vehicle flips over its primary lateral axis after crashing into a solid object, resulting in an end-over-end roll. These fatal rollovers occur at very high speeds, such as when drag racing on the Stevenson Expressway and losing control of the vehicle.

Numerous contributing factors will determine the crash severity, including vehicle type, speed, the number of turns before it rolls, and the intensity of a forceful impact. Most rollovers occur at high speeds, as vehicles are otherwise relatively stable.

Other contributing factors include a rooftop intrusion or other extensive damage to the vehicle, whether this was a multi-vehicle or single-vehicle crash, the vehicle’s design, and what initiated the rollover.

Surviving a rollover crash could depend on the passenger vehicle occupant’s age, body mass index, location when the vehicle flipped, and whether they were confined or ejected from the vehicle’s interior during or after the crash. Individuals who are ejected during accidents involving rollovers may be crushed by the vehicle or hit by flying debris, significantly reducing their chance of survival.

Statistics demonstrate that most occupant deaths are drivers, not passengers. This is likely due to the fact that the steering wheel may pin these accident victims, which can lead to catastrophic injuries.

Rollover Accident Statistics FAQs

Surviving a catastrophic rollover crash or living with life-threatening injuries can devastate family members dealing with the aftereffects. Below are the most frequently asked rollover accident questions.

What Percentage of Accidents Are Rollovers?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 3% of all car accidents involve rollover crashes. However, about 35% of all passenger vehicle fatalities are associated with a rollover or tip-over accident.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a rollover crash or another type of car accident, consulting an experienced Chicago car accident lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and options for recovering compensation.

Can You Survive a Rollover Crash?

Rollover accidents account for approximately 35% of all roadway deaths. However, statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that rollover fatalities per million registered passenger vehicles have improved significantly in recent years, including for SUVs. This is due to safety advancements like electronic stability control and anti-lock braking systems.

Statistics show that individual choices can significantly increase your risk of survival. Individuals in seat belts at the time of a rollover accident have only a 7-8% chance of death, regardless of what type of belt they use.

Not only is wearing a seatbelt smart, but it’s also the law. Illinois requires all passenger vehicle occupants to wear a restraining device, whether that is a seatbelt or a car seat for children (625 ILCS §5/12-603.1). Chicago also requires that drivers of passenger vehicles personally ensure that a child between the ages of 6 and 16 is wearing a seatbelt (§9-76-180).

However, it is important to note that not wearing a seat belt does not mean you cannot recover damages for rollover accidents. The 1985 Illinois Supreme Court case Clarkson v. Wright affirmed that seat belt usage cannot be used as a limiting factor in determining negligence or contributory negligence.

Studies show that in the event of a rollover, the occupant should prepare themselves, remove their foot from the pedals to avoid breaking an ankle, and release the steering wheel while crossing their arms against their chest.

Once the vehicle has stopped rolling, assess all damage to yourself and others and call 911 immediately. Turn the engine off, exit the vehicle, and stay clear of any traffic to avoid additional harm.

Why Are Rollovers so Deadly?

Rollover accident statistics show that only head-on crashes cause more passenger vehicle fatalities every year in the United States than rollover accidents. Many single-vehicle rollover crashes occur when a vehicle slides sideways off the roadway, where the tires dig into the soil or strike something like a curb or guardrail.

Accidents involving rollovers are typically at higher speeds and involve extreme forces acting on the body. Vehicle occupants are violently thrown around and jostled during the crash, which can cause internal organ damage, bleeding, broken bones, cuts, and perforated organs. They may also suffer from traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord damage.

In many cases, the rooftop collapses during the rollover, causing further injuries and complicating the rescue process. Emergency services may take a long time to extract vehicle occupants, resulting in higher occupant deaths.

How Many People Die in Rollover Accidents?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 7,418 passenger vehicle occupants died in rollover crashes in 2022. Seventy-seven percent of these motor vehicle crashes occur due to a pre-rollover impact, but 23% occur without any pre-accident impact. Of fatal rollover accidents, 46% were due to a frontal impact, 16% were due to a side impact, 4% were due to a rear impact, and 11% were from another type of impact or an unknown impact.

Rollover accident statistics demonstrate that the fatality rate has dropped significantly over the last few decades, especially for accidents involving SUVs and light trucks, due to safer designs of each vehicle type. Other contributing factors have reduced the number of deaths occurring in rollover vehicle crashes, including law enforcement ticketing drivers exceeding the speed limits.

Overall, driving has become safer than ever. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety notes that the 2020 motor vehicle death rate was 38 traffic fatalities per million registered vehicles across all makes and models, which is significantly lower than even 10 years ago.

Secure Expert Legal Counsel Near You!

Were you the victim of a rollover accident, or did you lose a loved one in a wrongful death caused by another’s negligence? The Chicago personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Law can serve as your legal advocate to ensure your family receives the financial compensation they deserve.

Our award-winning car accident attorneys in Chicago have worked with over 5,000 clients over the past 25 years, helping them negotiate fair settlements with insurance companies. Due to our aggressive legal representation, we have a 98% success rate and are feared by insurance companies nationwide.

When you work with Rosenfeld Injury Law, you receive a full team of lawyers who are there to investigate every element of your accident.

We will use all our resources, such as surveillance footage, witness testimony, and accident reports, to understand how the rollover accident happened and who is responsible. Next, we will negotiate with the relevant insurance agency for a fair settlement. If necessary, we will take your case to court.

Damages we can help you recover include medical bills, lost wages, property damage, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and inconvenience. We can also recover burial expenses and grief compensation for those who lost a loved one in a rollover accident.

Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 or through our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We understand that not all families have the money to hire an attorney. We accept all cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning no payments are required until we settle your case or win your lawsuit at trial.

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.