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Recent SUV rollover crash injures 11 in Illinois
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Ages of the car crash victims ranged from 3 months to 34 years
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Car crash believed to be because SUV was an overloaded vehicle
Many people in Illinois and Missouri underestimate just how dangerous an overloaded vehicle can be to both its occupants and others on the road around it. One overloaded vehicle accident that took place over the July 4th weekend demonstrated just how dangerous this can be. The SUV rollover crash took place along I-72 not far from Buffalo, Illinois at approximately 3:30 that Saturday afternoon. The car crash left 11 people injured; thankfully, none of the injuries were considered to be life-threatening.
Four of the injured victims in the collision were adults ranging in age from 27 to 34; the seven other victims were children aged 3 months to 17 years. All 11 people were apparently traveling in an overloaded 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe at the time of the crash. Authorities reported that all of the vehicle occupants were from Champaign, Illinois. Emergency personnel transported the driver and eight of her passengers via ambulance to area hospitals. A helicopter transferred two of the injured passengers to receive medical treatment.
Early reports indicated that the driver lost control of the SUV for reasons that were not immediately clear. At that point, the Tahoe swerved off the right side of the interstate and rolled over several times before ultimately coming to a stop in an upright position. Emergency workers were forced to forcibly cut the top of the vehicle in order to reach the trapped occupants. In the wake of the serious collision, both westbound lanes of I-72 were closed to traffic for several hours.
The same reports also claimed that 11 people traveling in this type of SUV would certainly qualify as an overloaded vehicle. Illinois State Police said that some type of charges were currently pending the outcome of their investigation into the accident. It wasn’t clear just how serious those charges might be, but it does seem more obvious that the occupants involved in this rollover were fortunate to walk away with their lives. One auto industry website gives several important reasons why a vehicle should never be driven when it exceeds its maximum allowable weight (payload), including:
- The built-in safety mechanisms designed for that vehicle will not work as well when a vehicle is heavier than its payload;
- Such a heavy weight can result in a vehicle’s wheels bulging at the bottom, leading to wheels sticking to the pavement, heating up, and potentially blowing out; and
- Sudden swerves at an excessive payload can result in difficulty steering and a driver’s losing control of the vehicle;
Those who are driving a vehicle have a duty of reasonable care to others on the road. Among those responsibilities they bear is to make sure their vehicle is properly loaded. If you have been injured or lost a loved one due to an overloaded vehicle or SUV rollover crash, we may be able to help you seek financial reimbursement in a civil lawsuit. Personal injury and wrongful death laws allow injured victims or surviving families the opportunity to seek restitution from a party believed to have negligently caused or contributed to this type of car crash. Please call us at no charge to yourself at 1-888-586-7041 to find out more.
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Sources: http://www.sj-r.com/article/20150704/NEWS/150709803 and http://automotivepartsuppliers.com/top-5-reasons-overload-car/