Rollover Car Accidents in Iowa December 2010

What is going on with the rollover accidents lately? There seems to be a lot of them, even though cars are made with more stability. If you don't know about the center of gravity, referred to as the "CG" then you ought to read about it. The CG is that point above the ground and below the roof line where it will stay upright so long as it doesn't go out over the wheel base. Hamilton County just had two in one day. In the first one four people were injured; in the second the driver was injured and then allegedly charged with OWI. In the first rollover the report states, "The Iowa State Patrol and the Sheriff's Department believe that drugs and alcohol were involved." There were several young people in that car. The driver's troubles are just beginning in both of these cases. The passengers may or may not have a claim against the driver in the first one. It all depends on complicity in the drinking.

 

Two rollover accidents occur Monday in Hamilton County, December 1, 2010

 

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement officials were busy Monday with two rollover accidents happening during the afternoon hours.

Four individuals were injured in a rollover accident south of Stanhope. The Iowa State Patrol and the Sheriff's Department believe that drugs and alcohol were involved. According to the Iowa State Patrol's crash report, at 2:07 p.m., A 1993 Pontiac Bonneville driven by Andrew Pepples, 22, of Boone, was eastbound on Iowa Highway 175 and lost control near the intersection with Iowa Highway 17. The vehicle rolled several times, ejecting the three passengers: Jaclynn Kelly, 17; Christopher Miller, 24; and Abby Sorber, 16, all of Boone. Kelly and Miller were taken to Van Diest Medical Center for treatment of injuries. Pepples was trapped in the vehicle.

The accident is still under investigation.

Another rollover accident happened shortly after at the intersection of Fisher Avenue and Blueberry Hill Drive. According to sheriff's reports, Justin Michael Morris, of Eagle Grove, was northbound on Fisher Avenue at fast speeds and went off onto the east shoulder of the roadway. Morris overcorrected the Toyota pickup he was driving and spun sideways. He slid across the southbound lane and entered the west ditch, rolling one and a half times, coming to a rest on the passenger side of the vehicle in a farm field. He was transferred by ambulance to Van Diest Medical Center. Morris was charged with an OWI - first offense, driving while license suspended, failure to prove security - accident, and failure to maintain control.