An SUV rollover on a Florida Turnpike killed five people Friday night. There were eight people in the Ford Expedition travelling from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale for a religious event, when the rear tire apparently blew. The driver lost control near the Lake Worth service plaza and the SUV rolled into a 15-foot-deep canal with its roof down. The dead include three young children, the driver and a passenger. Two other children are still in the hospital and one person has been released. Police say that of the five who died, only the driver was wearing a seatbelt.

Authorities say alcohol was not involved in the accident, and that it is possible that the tire treat separated. There have been several lawsuits filed as a result of blown tires and SUV rollovers. Lawsuits involving the Ford Expedition target the vehicle's design. Those involved allege the top-heavy design affects vehicle handling, and weak door latches and an absence of laminated safety glass does not keep passengers in the SUV in rollover accidents.

The SUV involved in Friday night's accident jumped a cable barrier installed in 2007 along the turnpike, and other roads, to keep vehicles from flipping into canals that run alongside the pavement.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an SUV rollover accident, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area.

Nine people were injured, four of them critically, when an SUV crashed in Brevard County, Florida. Investigators believe a blown tire may have caused the accident. According to Kathy Hancock, a truck driver traveling behind the Chevrolet Blazer on I-95, the SUV was suddenly "turning somersaults" and that "bodies were flying everywhere." At least two people were ejected from the single vehicle crash.

There are several factors that can cause a tire to blow out. If the tires are over- or underinflated, heat and pressure can build up causing the tire to fail. Debris on the road, high rates of speed, and tire defects are also possibilities that can lead to a blow out.

Every year hundreds of people are injured and many killed due to a blown out tire. These blowouts not only inflict injury and death on those in the vehicle, but many times nearby vehicles will also be involved when someone loses control.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving an SUV, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

The 4^th District Court of Appeals in California has upheld damages awarded to a San Diego woman paralyzed when her Ford Explorer flipped. Benetta Buell-Wilson's back was crushed in June, 2002 when she swerved to avoid something in the road. A passenger side wheel lifted off the ground, the SUV fishtailed, and then rolled four and a half times.

Buell-Wilson's lawsuit against Ford alleges that the Explorer's design was flawed due to a high center of gravity and low wheelbase. This made it prone to rollover accidents. The suit also alleges that the Explorer had a weak roof. Buell-Wilson's suit contends that Ford new about the flaws, but did nothing to fix them.

San Diego Superior Court awarded Buell-Wilson and her husband $369 million. $246 million of this was for punitive damages. This was the first verdict against Ford in an Explorer rollover case. The automobile company had previously won at least 12 other rollover cases. This award was reduced to $150 million in 2004. The judge in the case, Kevin A. Enright, agreed with the jury that there was evidence to support the claim that Ford knew of design flaws, but did nothing about it. In 2006, the award was reduced again, this time to $82.6 million. The reason given was that the punitive damages were "excessive" and violated the state law's ban on awards that are the result of "passion or prejudice."

An attorney for Ford says they plan to appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court, or further to the U.S. Supreme Court should the need arise.

If you, or a loved one, have been injured in an SUV rollover, please contact an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released another round of SUV safety ratings, and while the news is better, it isn't good for all SUVs. The tests involved nine 4-door midsized models and how the vehicles responded to front, rear, and side crashes. The good news is that SUV safety is improving.

Test Results

Testing in 2001 showed only half of the SUVs tested earned good ratings in frontal crashes. This latest round showed all midsized models, except the Hummer H3, earning good ratings. The worst performers in side tests were the Kia Sorento, Jeep Liberty, and Jeep Wrangler 4-door. The best side crash performers were the Mazda CX-7 and CX-9, as well as the Mitsubishi Endeavor. However, the Mazdas and the Endeavor didn't fare as well with rear-end crash testing.

People often believe they will be safer in an SUV if they are involved in an accident. The IIHS looked at what injuries can occur when the SUV is struck from different positions. Head, neck, and chest protection were evaluated and the vehicles were given a rating. Those models that earned poor side crash ratings are SUVs that lack side airbags, which protect the torso.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

IIHS added ESC to their crash test research in 2007. ESC is a control system made up of sensors that continuously monitors how the vehicle responds to steering input. ESC then applies brakes and modulates an engine's power to keep the SUV traveling on the path the driver has indicated. IIHS research has shown that ESC reduces the risk of single-vehicle accidents ending in a fatality by 56% and multiple-vehicle accidents ending in a fatality by 32%. This feature also reduces single-vehicle rollovers by 80%. ECS is still an option in most SUVs, but the Nissan Murano has made it standard. This helped the Murano win the "Top Safety Pick" by the IIHS.

The Good News

Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan states that there is good news, even for the models that earned poor ratings in one or more category. Safety on these vehicles is improving, especially because more SUVs are equipped with ESC. And manufacturers of SUVs have moved quickly to add safety features, including side airbags.

If you, or a loved one, are in an auto accident involving an SUV, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area.