While rollovers account for just 4.6% of all large truck crashes, they represent some of the most devastating accidents on American roads. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports over 1,300 cargo tank rollovers each year. That’s nearly four rollovers every day. Four families whose lives have been forever changed by a commercial truck flipped on its side or overturned completely.
When a fully loaded tractor-trailer rolls over, it can:
- Roll into traffic
- Collide with other vehicles or pedestrians
- Leave hazardous liquids and gases across highways and neighborhoods
- Start fires and other environmental disasters
- Trigger multi-vehicle pileups
- Take lives too soon
- Leave survivors facing years of recovery
- Roll into traffic
- Collide with other vehicles or pedestrians
- Leave hazardous liquids and gases across highways and neighborhoods
- Start fires and other environmental disasters
- Trigger multi-vehicle pileups
- Take lives too soon
- Leave survivors facing years of recovery
At The Law Firm for Truck Safety, we understand the complex factors involved in truck crash injury lawsuits—from dangerous cargo loading practices to driver fatigue to mechanical failures—and we know how to hold all responsible parties accountable. Our experienced truck accident attorneys have helped families just like yours secure the compensation they deserve after these devastating rollover crashes.
Connect with our experienced personal injury lawyers about your claim today.
Your story—your recovery—matters, and we're here to help you write the next chapter.
Contact us
Let Us Help You Seek Justice
If you or a family member was involved in a roll-over truck accident, contact the attorneys at The Law Firm for Truck Safety. We can guide you through this difficult time and ensure justice is received.
What Causes a Tractor-Trailer Rollover Accident?
Tractor-trailer rollover accidents can have a number of different causes, including one or any combination of the following:
Loading and Cargo Issues
Improperly loaded cargo is one of the leading causes of rollover accidents. This can include the uneven distribution of weight, improperly secured loads, partially filled tankers, or overloaded trailers.
When tanks aren’t full or when loads aren’t properly secured, liquids or cargo can shift and cause the vehicle to become imbalanced and rollover.
The same is true of trucks with cargo that are properly secured, but unevenly distributed or overpacked. FMCSA reports that 63% of rollover crashes occurred with cargo tanks carrying partial loads.
Driver Error
A separate FMCSA report claims that 78% of truck rollovers involve driver error. This can include driver fatigue, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, distracted driving, skipping maintenance, improperly loading cargo, speeding, or taking a turn too quickly — even if the vehicle was traveling under the posted speed limit.
Semi-trucks have a high center of gravity, so they lean and roll over if the driver doesn’t slow down enough when taking a sharp turn.
You are nearly 2.6 times more likely to be injured or killed in a rollover crash with a large truck than all other types of truck crashes combined.
Maintenance Issues
Drivers and transportation companies are responsible for maintaining their vehicles. If trucks, tires, and brakes aren’t properly maintained, they may fail in critical situations.
If the brakes fail, the driver may swerve to avoid hitting the car in front of them and the fast, swerving motion may cause the trailer to tip. FMCSA reports that 54% of vehicles that rolled over had brake defects.
Poor Road Conditions
In some cases, poor road conditions can cause a truck to swerve unexpectedly and tip over. This can include large potholes, icy or wet roads, and large debris in the road that drivers need to move around.
Understanding who's responsible for a truck rollover accident requires deep knowledge of federal regulations, industry standards, and accident reconstruction. Let our experienced truck accident attorneys analyze your case and explain your legal options.
Rollover Accident Attorneys Fighting for You
At The Law Firm for Truck Safety, we combine nationwide legal excellence with unique insider knowledge of the trucking industry.
Our firm has the most National Board of Trial Advocacy-certified trucking attorneys in the country, plus the most lawyers who also have Class A commercial driver's licenses.
This exceptional expertise, paired with our commitment to treating every client like family, allows us to build stronger cases and fight harder for the compensation you deserve.
Where Do Rollover Truck Accidents Occur?
While truck rollover crashes often occur on highways where trucks travel at high speeds, they can happen anywhere—from rural roads to city intersections.
Common causes of rollover accidents include improperly loaded cargo that shifts during transport or a driving maneuver, traveling too fast for road conditions, improper lane changes, fatigued driving, or a variety of unsafe driving practices ultimately caused by trucking companies pushing their drivers beyond safe operating limits.
While truck rollover crashes often occur on highways where trucks travel at high speeds, they can happen anywhere—from rural roads to city intersections.
Common causes of rollover accidents include improperly loaded cargo that shifts during transport or a driving maneuver, traveling too fast for road conditions, improper lane changes, fatigued driving, or a variety of unsafe driving practices ultimately caused by trucking companies pushing their drivers beyond safe operating limits.
Filing a Claim after a Semi-Truck Rollover Crash
If you or a loved one was involved in a rollover accident involving an 18-wheeler, big rig, or another commercial vehicle, The Law Firm for Truck Safety can help you recover the maximum, full, and fair compensation that you are entitled to.
Our team legal team is ready to treat you with the care, knowledge, and compassion needed to help you through one of the most difficult times of your life.
find a truck accident attorney near me
Common Injuries in Semi-Truck Rollover Accidents
A fully loaded semi-truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds—40 times more than a passenger vehicle. This difference in weight can turn even low-speed collisions into catastrophic events.
Rollover truck crashes are particularly devastating. In fact, you are roughly 2.6 times more likely to be injured or killed in this type of truck crash than all other types of truck crashes combined. Rollover truck crashes can result in significant medical bills and even physical therapy.
- Paralysis
- Neck and spinal cord injuries
- Burns, cuts, and abrasions
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Amputation
- Orthopedic injuries
- Eye injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Death
Beyond physical injuries, truck accident survivors often experience psychological trauma or PTSD. Much like physical injuries, these emotional issues may require expensive treatment, and in some cases, they could affect a person’s job performance.
How to Prove Liability in a Rollover Truck Accident
Like any personal injury lawsuit, in rollover cases, the plaintiff—the person or party bringing the claim—needs to prove negligence on the part of the defendant. One of the reasons truck crash lawsuits require more resources and knowledge than a traditional car crash claim is because this liability can be shared between multiple parties.
When you hire a truck accident attorney to represent your claim, they will review police reports and your medical records, hire crash reconstruction experts, and gather other crucial evidence to help you determine who to name in your lawsuit, so that no potentially at-fault parties are left out of your claim.
Here are just a few of the more common types of parties sued in truck accident lawsuits:
If the truck driver involved in your accident was distracted, driving while fatigued, drunk, or otherwise impaired, if they failed to perform regular maintenance or properly secure their cargo, or if they were speeding, they could be found responsible for the crash.
If the trucking company hired unqualified drivers or drivers with a bad record, if they failed to train drivers or schedule enough rest time, or incentivized drivers to skip their scheduled rest times, or if they failed to maintain their fleet, they may owe you restitution.
If the driver or trucking company outsources maintenance efforts to a third party and that business failed to catch or resolve an issue that fully or partially caused the accident, the maintenance company could be found guilty as well.
When a crash is caused by a mechanical failure in the truck, truck rollover lawyers will investigate the company that manufactured the faulty part. If the manufacturer of the truck or truck part failed to conduct appropriate testing or knew the part was faulty but didn’t recall it, they could be sued.
Depending on the circumstances around your crash, there are several other third-party companies that could be named in your lawsuit. If your crash was caused by an unsecured load and someone other than the driver packed the cargo and loaded the vehicle, they could be named in your suit as well.
If another driver on the road was driving erratically and cut off the truck or caused the truck to swerve and tip over, they may be found liable for the crash.
In rare circumstances, a government entity could be named in your lawsuit. If your accident involved a city vehicle like a bus, fire truck, or police car, you may be able to sue. The same could be true if you can prove that the roads were poorly maintained and caused your accident. Though immunity may come into play, a seasoned truck accident lawyer may be able to help you recover funds for your injuries.
Determining liability and which parties to name in your truck accident lawsuit are complex. So it’s essential to enlist the help of a lawyer experienced in truck rollover lawsuits to help you with your personal injury claim. By leaving any liable parties out of your lawsuit, you might be leaving substantial money on the table. But more importantly, you’re allowing drivers, trucking companies, or other parties to continue unsafe practices.
How Will the Law Firm for Truck Safety’s Truck Accident Attorneys Help with My Case?
Enlisting the help of an experienced rollover truck accident law firm like The Law Firm for Truck Safety is essential to winning your case and collecting a fair settlement. When your rollover claim is represented by an experienced and specialized truck accident law firm, its personal injury attorneys will:
- Act fast to preserve critical evidence
- Secure the driver’s logbook, maintenance records, dispatch records, and more before they are lost or destroyed
- Preserve medical reports and police reports
- Build your case’s strategy using expert support from crash reconstructionists, medical experts, life-care planners, and more
- calculate lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- find and identify all available insurance coverage and potentially liable parties
- prepare your case to go to trial, if necessary
- fight more for maximum compensation
- counter insurance company tactics that keep you from receiving the compensation you’re owed
Our experienced legal team knows exactly what it takes to win complex rollover truck accident cases and will fight tirelessly for the full compensation you need to rebuild your life.
Take the first step on your path to justice.
The Law Firm for Truck Safety’s truck accident attorneys are here to help you find answers, pursue justice, and receive the compensation you deserve.
Connect with a Law Firm for Truck Safety attorney today.
Financial Recovery Options After a Rollover Truck Accident
There are several injury-related costs you can seek compensation for. Below are some of the most common:
Economic Costs
- Medical bills (past and future)
- Rehab bills
- Permanent disability
- Lost wages
- Funeral and burial costs
- Property loss
- Legal expenses
- Childcare costs
Non-Economic Costs
- Pain and suffering of both the victim and family members
- PTSD
- Disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of quality of life
- Loss of household support
- Loss of parental guidance
Remember, the trucking company and their insurers are working hard to minimize the financial value of your claim. That’s their job. But rest assured our experienced attorneys will fight back to recover every dollar you're entitled to. We want you to focus on healing while we handle the legal battle. Don't let the insurance companies pressure you into accepting less than your case is worth.
Trust Your Case to The Law Firm for Truck Safety
At The Law Firm for Truck Safety, we have:
- More National Board of Trial Advocacy–certified attorneys than any other firm in America
- Offices in Ohio, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Illinois
- Five of our employees hold commercial driver’s licenses, giving us direct insights into the rules, regulations, and standards of care to which truck drivers must adhere
- Extensive trial experience and truck safety expertise, which allows us to uncover critical case facts other truck accident law firms can’t
When your life has been shattered by a rollover truck accident, you need more than just lawyers—you need proven truck safety experts who know how to win.
Don't settle for less. Let our team of specialized truck accident attorneys fight for the full justice and compensation you deserve. Contact us today for your free, confidential case consultation.
