Ford F-350 Truck Rollover & Roof Crush Accidents

by David P. Willis, Attorney at Law

Ford F-350 Truck Rollover Problems

Ford F-350 rollovers due to their size and weight can result in the deadliest rollovers and roof crush accidents today. During a F-350 rollover, the weight of this truck far exceeds the capability of the F-350's roof supports and roof frame. If the driver of a F-350 truck goes off the roadway at highway speeds and quickly attempts to regain control, the truck may start to yaw or go sideways. It that case, a roll over accident is probable. The weight and momentum of a 9,000 to 11,000 lb. truck is almost impossible to correct without "over-steering" or "over-correcting." Most Ford F-350 roll over accidents occur when the driver is forced to take an emergency or evasive action after steering in one direction and then rapidly correcting in the opposite direction, such as a typical avoidance maneuver with a deer, a dog, pothole, road hazard, tire blowout, tire tread defect, tire tread separation or to avoid another vehicle. Sadly, many of these normal evasive actions we take for granted in a passenger vehicle can result in a rollover in a Ford F-350 truck. When such a rollover occurs in a Ford F-350, the survivability of the occupants often depends on their height and on the amount of deformation or crushing of the roof, roof pillars, roof headers and door frames. A Ford F-350 rollover and roof crush is usually a deadly combination, especially at highway speeds.

Ford F-350 Truck Rollover Protection? - No Rollbar and No Rollcage

The Ford F-350, like most pickup trucks, has a higher center of gravity and can be a very unstable vehicle on the road, especially in an emergency or evasive maneuver. Although the F-350 truck is advertised as and appears to be the biggest and baddest truck on the market, it does not have an actual rollover cage, roll bar or other rollover roof crush protection or occupant protection to protect the driver or passengers in a rollover accident.

The Ford F-350, like many other trucks, does not meet the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) roof support safety standard (NHTSA-FMVSS 216) for roof strength integrity. All Ford F-350 models have this same rollover roof collapse, roof pillar failure, and roof crush problem including the:

• Ford F-350 XL Crew Cab 4 Dr Extended Cab
• Ford F-350 XL Crew Cab 4WD 4 Dr Extended Cab
• Ford F-350 XL DRW 4WD Crew Cab 4 Dr Extended Cab
• Ford F-350 XL DRW Crew Cab 4 Dr Extended Cab
• Ford F-350 Super Duty
• Ford F-350 Dually
• Ford F-350 King Ranch Truck

While many owners and occupants believe that an airbag in a rollover will keep them safe, the truth is that in most rollovers, the airbags never deploy.

Ford F-350 Rollover Roof Crush - Roof Pillar Collapse

The roof structure of the two door Ford F-350 regular cab is comprised of a roof, two A-pillars and two B-pillars. On the Ford F-350 Super Duty Super Cab 4 doors, there are two A-pillars, two, B-pillars, two C-pillars and a roof structure. On the four door Ford F 350 Super Duty Supercab, an obvious problem exists. On the Ford F-350 Supercab, there is no B-pillar between the 2 doors on each side. In a F-350 Supercab Truck rollover, the tremendous weight of the truck in a rollover crushes the roof down on the extra wide door opening and crushes down much more severely than it would have if a B-pillar existed between the doors to act as a roof support. This additional force on the door latch, or lock, of the Ford F-350 forces the door lock to give and the door latch to open during a rollover, or a side collision, exposing the driver and passengers to untold dangers, injuries and death from door latch failures. Ford F-350 and F-250 Supercab with no B-pillars between the 2 doors, create in a roll over the most severe amount of roof crush resulting in some of the most catastrophic head injuries, spinal cord injuries, suffocations, asphyxiations and deaths.

Ford F-350 Rollover Lawsuits & Legal Actions - Free Case Evaluation

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a Ford F-350 truck rollover accident, roof crush or any Ford truck rollover, SUV rollover or SUV accident and you would like to know more about your legal rights in filing a rollover lawsuit or any other potential product liability or negligence legal action, then call and talk with Mr. Willis, a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer with over 20+ years of product liability and roof crush rollover litigation experience. Call the Ammons-Willis Law Firms at 1-800-883-9858 or fill out our Free Ford F-350 Truck Rollover Case Evaluation below.