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SUV rollover on Turnpike

A 25-year-old Jamesburg woman died in a motor vehicle accident last Thursday on the New Jersey Turnpike.

The woman’s vehicle, a Ford Explorer had apparently been traveling northbound on the Turnpike in the inner lane near South Brunswick when her vehicle overturned, struck the guardrail, and slid north until it came to rest in the right lane facing southbound.

Sources said the woman had not been wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, and was ejected from her vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency medical service personnel and paramedics came to assist.

Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved in the accident, which is still under investigation. A spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority did say, though, that the accident resulted in significant traffic delays.

SUV rollover accidents are quite common in the United States. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, over 10,000 deaths and over 30,000 serious injuries result from these accidents annually. Victims in such accidents are frequently injured when the roof of their vehicle collapses under the vehicle’s weight. These accidents can cause head injuries, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, and death. SUV’s are particularly vulnerable to these types of accidents because of their weight distribution, and the difficulty in maintaining vehicle stability in turns.

Statistically, most fatal rollovers of 4-wheel-drive vehicles are single vehicle accidents which occur on weekend nights. In three out of four of these fatal rollovers, the victims are ejected from their vehicle. Manufacturers are required to meet certain requirements and other recommendations to make these vehicles safer, but unfortunately not every manufacturer does their part in seeing to the safety of these vehicles.

Source: nj.com, “Jamesburg woman identified as victim in fatal N.J. Turnpike accident near Exit 8-A,” Tom Haydon, Sep 15, 2011.