Clinton County, Iowa – An incident occurred in Clinton County on August 29, 2023, resulting in the loss of a 22-year-old Clinton woman’s life in a single-vehicle accident. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office has released preliminary details regarding this accident.
At 11:14 p.m., the Clinton County Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a single-vehicle rollover accident near the intersection of 320th Avenue and Highway 30. First responders were dispatched to the scene.
Responders discovered a 2008 Ford Focus in the westbound lanes of Highway 30. Preliminary findings from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office indicate that the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Highway 30 when the driver lost control. The vehicle veered onto the south shoulder of the eastbound lanes before the driver overcorrected, causing the vehicle to enter the center median. The vehicle rolled numerous times before coming to a rest in the westbound lanes of traffic.
The driver of the 2008 Ford Focus, identified as 22-year-old Alexa N. Marley of Clinton, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Rollover Collision Need Further Investigation to Determine Cause of Injury
Rollover accidents are highly common and very dangerous. Even though less than 3 percent of vehicle accidents result in rollovers, they are responsible for 20 percent of fatal crashes (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). This is a staggering figure. With accidents that have a high fatality rate, all angles must be examined to determine the exact cause of injury or death. This is especially true with rollover collisions.
Many people are unaware that the law is concerned with how an injury occurred just as much as it is concerned with how the accident happened. For instance, if a person falls asleep while driving, losing control of their car is considered the cause of the crash. But what is also investigated and crucial to know is if the vehicle is crashworthy, meaning did it withstand the force of the rollover accident or cause an injury.
When a vehicle is defective, the injury may be caused by the vehicle, not the accident. For example, we have handled over 300 rollover accidents and investigated countless more. In our experience, we have found that seatbelts, airbags, and roofs must provide sufficient protection to the vehicle’s occupants to prevent injuries. When roofs crush into the occupant’s survival space, airbags fail to deploy correctly, and seatbelts fail to restrain occupants firmly, the vehicle is considered defective, and motorists are needlessly injured and killed.
Manufacturers are responsible when they produce a defective product. They are aware of the dangers presented to the occupants of a vehicle during the rollover sequence. They have a duty to provide vehicles that protect occupants in these collisions. When these manufacturers fail to provide the public with a safe car or one without defects, they are held accountable.
Cases like these Require training and experience and can only be determined by investigating the vehicle.
We send our most heartfelt condolences to the family of Alexa N. Marley.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in truck accident cases, with extensive experience in dealing with commercial truck accidents.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
